HB LOCAL TRAVIS POTTER CONTRACTS MALARIA
HB surfer and longtime Indonesian visitor Travis Potter contracted a potentially deadly strain of cerebral malaria while traveling through the Southeast Asian island chain last week.
The Seal Beach goofyfoot spent a hard month searching for undiscovered waves in Papua New Guinea with a half dozen other ferals, filming for an upcoming surf movie called Isolated.
He returned to Jakarta last Tuesday, April 8th to regroup and prepare for another two-week Outer Island camping trip when he was overtaken by fever and checked himself into the hospital.
"I had dinner with Travis on Tuesday night (the 8th) right before I flew home and he was fine," remembers Filmer Steve Volz, who was with Travis for the month-long hell-trip. "But he called me the next night with a huge fever, saying he had gotten malaria and was in the hospital, and that if I started getting a fever I should get checked out."
Potter spent the following five days in a Jarkarta hospital, occasionally texting friends and family to them know he was OK. According to some reports, Travis' strain of malaria has a 20% mortality rate, which has people at home concerned; his Javanese wife Nino was in California when it was first discovered, but quickly flew back to Indonesia and she's with him now.
"He sounded better last time we talked to him a couple days ago," explained his father Dave on Friday afternoon. "But the treatment he went through was awful. He lost all kinds of weight."
More from his folks on April 23: "Travis is now in Bali. He is better and thinks he is in recovery mode. He is going to get a blood test, have it analyzed and try to communicate with the malaria specialist who is away from Bali now. After the consultation with the specialist, Travis will have an idea about his recovery status and duration."
The Seal Beach goofyfoot spent a hard month searching for undiscovered waves in Papua New Guinea with a half dozen other ferals, filming for an upcoming surf movie called Isolated.
He returned to Jakarta last Tuesday, April 8th to regroup and prepare for another two-week Outer Island camping trip when he was overtaken by fever and checked himself into the hospital.
"I had dinner with Travis on Tuesday night (the 8th) right before I flew home and he was fine," remembers Filmer Steve Volz, who was with Travis for the month-long hell-trip. "But he called me the next night with a huge fever, saying he had gotten malaria and was in the hospital, and that if I started getting a fever I should get checked out."
Potter spent the following five days in a Jarkarta hospital, occasionally texting friends and family to them know he was OK. According to some reports, Travis' strain of malaria has a 20% mortality rate, which has people at home concerned; his Javanese wife Nino was in California when it was first discovered, but quickly flew back to Indonesia and she's with him now.
"He sounded better last time we talked to him a couple days ago," explained his father Dave on Friday afternoon. "But the treatment he went through was awful. He lost all kinds of weight."
More from his folks on April 23: "Travis is now in Bali. He is better and thinks he is in recovery mode. He is going to get a blood test, have it analyzed and try to communicate with the malaria specialist who is away from Bali now. After the consultation with the specialist, Travis will have an idea about his recovery status and duration."
Donations are also being accepted (info below).
VIA PAYPAL:
spiritwindranch@msn.com
VIA SNAIL MAIL:
Travis Potter Malaria Relief Fund
59512 Hop Patch Spring Road
Mountain Center CA 92561
VIA PAYPAL:
spiritwindranch@msn.com
VIA SNAIL MAIL:
Travis Potter Malaria Relief Fund
59512 Hop Patch Spring Road
Mountain Center CA 92561
Our thoughts and prayers are with you Travis!
Labels: SURF NEWS, TEAM HAPPENINGS
posted by HSS at 11:32 AM
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