A Chicago firefighter is facing an uncertain recovery after suffering a severe spinal injury during the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in San Francisco.
Jose Perez had looked forward to the event for years. The annual race begins with a plunge from a boat into the frigid waters off Alcatraz Island.
Moments after entering the water on June 1, Perez was struck from behind by another competitor. The impact, he says, felt like being hit by over 100 kg, and he immediately realized something was wrong.
“I couldn’t move,” he said to NBC from his hospital bed. “I was face down and couldn’t flip myself over.”
Another athlete saw he was in trouble and managed to turn him over and keep his head above water until help arrived.
Perez, who has competed in multiple triathlons, including a half-Ironman, said nothing in his past experience prepared him for what happened.
He’s now in an intensive care unit, partially paralyzed and facing a long and difficult rehabilitation.
But this time, he says, the support has come from both colleagues at the San Francisco Fire Department and friends and family back home in Chicago. Fellow firefighters have launched a fundraising campaign to assist with medical and recovery costs.
Perez, a father and career first responder, says that support has become his motivation. “It’s what’s keeping me focused,” he said.
If you’d like to donate, here is his GoFundMe.
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