We've got your back, Marco!!

On Tuesday, May 12th, Marco was kayaking Tumwater Canyon of the Wenatchee River, as he has been doing for the past 30 years. In fact, Marco has paddled Tumwater Canyon at higher flows and more constantly than probably any kayaker ever! However, on this day, the outcome was not typical for Marco. In the middle of a rapid appropriately named Chaos, he was flipped upside down, and took a serious blow to the face and head. He was knocked unconscious and sucked out of his kayak. He proceeded to swim the rest of the rapid and was escorted to shore by the other paddler on the river with him.

Marco has been an icon of big water kayaking, play boating, and steep creeking for the past three decades. He has run some of the local rivers of Leavenworth at the highest flows they have ever been paddled. He is a warrior athlete of epic proportions. Marco is also an extremely considerate community member and has gone to great lengths to enhance the abilities and performance potential of mountain sport athletes in the Wenatchee Valley. He is also a loving and supportive father to his son Chino who is now 16 and has had the most amazing childhood, living "Off the grid" with Marco.

Marco suffered a variety of injuries, including a broken nose, several fractured bones around his right eye socket, a fractured C6 and C7 vertebrae, and a broken Scapula. He was hospitalized over night in Wenatchee, WA but is now recovering at home. He is awake and alert and naturally, if you know Marco, he is in good spirits. He will likely spend the next three months wearing a C-Collar and it will be some time before he is on the water again.

Between medical bills and loss of income from being incapable working at the moment, Marco could use some help from his community during this time. If you can help out in any way at all, he would appreciate it beyond belief. He would also love to hear from you and has said the best way to contact him is through Face Book Messenger.