Seattle man paralyzed by rogue wave shares recovery journey

A Seattle man is grateful for all the love and support he’s received over the past year after he nearly drowned from getting hit by a rogue wave on a Mexico beach.

SEATTLE - A Seattle man is grateful for all the love and support he’s received over the past year after he nearly drowned in Mexico from getting hit by a rogue wave on the beach.

What was supposed to be a vacation in paradise turned into a nightmare for Evan Griffis in May of 2023.

Griffis was swimming in the ocean when he was struck at chest height by a wave, which caused him to hit his head and neck on the sand, paralyzing him.

After first being hospitalized in Mexico for a couple weeks, he was flown to Seattle for continuing treatment and today uses a wheelchair.

"I do remember. I remember it vividly. It felt like a very normal day, actually. Totally a surprise to me that my life was about to change like that," Griffis said. "I always thought of myself as a very competent, confident swimmer."

Griffis says he’s paralyzed from the chest down, but he’s come a long way in just a year’s time. After he was first injured, he was confined to a hospital bed for a few weeks, unable to move.

"I was lucky. I didn’t feel a lot of pain at the time," said Griffis.

Griffis worked for a travel company, so he always liked to pick up and go. He traveled to Puerto Vallarta on a personal trip for pride week and was swimming near the beach when the rogue wave changed everything.

"When it was time to get out of the water, I wasn’t really paying attention and swam back up to shore. It kind of happened so quickly, it was a flash, like, life flashed before my eyes," said Griffis. "I remember that the first wave crashed, and I held my breath because I felt that I couldn’t swim out. I noticed that my legs weren’t working anymore. All I could do is hold my breath and hope that someone saw me on shore."

The wave hit with enough force to knock him down to the sea floor. He tumbled head-first into the sand, shattering two vertebrae in his neck.

His body ended up tumbling along the floor of the ocean. He said he was conscious throughout, and bobbed back up to the surface where he could catch his breath before a second wave came and pushed him towards shore. He said he was also able to call for help and everyone on the beach rushed to his aid.

"Luckily that second wave kind of knocked me upright so I could catch my breath and scream for help," he said. "It’s a really scary feeling to know that you are stuck and floating in the water."

Later in the ICU, Griffis had an 11-hour surgery to remove pieces of broken bone and stabilize his spinal cord. He wasn’t able to eat solid foods for several weeks.

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After a couple weeks in Mexico, Griffis was flown to Seattle on a medical flight for continuing treatment and has since been undergoing physical and occupational therapy. He says he hasn’t given up yet.

"It’s taken many, many months even to get some basic skills down," he said. "But, I’m really happy to say a year later, I have a pretty solid grasp of my daily life. This morning, I shaved my head, put my contacts in, things I couldn’t do a year ago and I’m really proud of that. It’s a lot of work to get those basic things back."

Griffis says he’s had several surgeries to enhance his quality of life and is able to use his arms again. He's also moved in with his parents in Puyallup so they can help with ongoing care.

"I’m quickly becoming a local," said Griffis. "I’m one of the few in powerchairs there so I’m recognized easily."

An online fundraiser was set up for medical expenses and he’s used the funds to modify his parent’s home for wheelchair accessibility, including the installation of a ramp and a roll-in shower. Griffis says any additional funds that come in will be used for purchasing a manual wheelchair, and other expenses not covered by insurance.

Griffis also said he's grateful for the love and support of those he’s met along the way and those who continue to reach out through his online fundraising page and through friends and family.