A Tribute to the Founders

The NKF of Florida is proud to conduct the world's largest charity surf contest each year but we are even more proud of the men behind it. If you live in Cocoa Beach or the surrounding area you probably already know Rich Salick's story and you've probably already been touched by a selfless act so common with the Salick brothers. If you don't, their story, the reason the NKF Pro Am Surf Festival continues to be a staple in the Cocoa Beach community, will hopefully inspire you to become involved and support the event.

Rich was in the prime of his professional surfing career when he was stuck with a rare kidney disease that made it impossible to function without life saving dialysis for 8 hours per day. The disease put his surfing aspirations on hold while Rich struggled through dialysis until his brother, Phil, offered to give Rich one of his kidneys. After being successfully transplanted, Rich could cease the dialysis treatments and he began dreaming of a comeback. Because the transplanted kidney was close to the skin it was susceptible to damage if exposed to severe contact. Doctors told Rich his surfing days were over. After receiving inspiration from water skiers and the material used to make life jackets, Rich devised a padding system that protected his transplanted kidney while in the water. He returned to competition after a long and difficult rehabilitation and finished second in his first competition and won the next.

Having suffered and conquered, Rich and Phil turned their attention to helping the dialysis patients who weren't lucky enough to find an organ match. They wanted to help the people who were forced to spend so much time on dialysis machines to survive, their lives put on hold by kidney disease. Rich and Phil started a surf competition in Cocoa Beach and challenged local surf shops. The first contest generated $125 which was hand delivered to a local dialysis center in a brown paper bag.

The Pro Am Surf Festival has come a long way since its inauspicious beginnings and in twenty four years has become a major income producer for the NKF of Florida and a great place for professionals and amateurs alike to begin or continue their surfing careers. To this date, the Surf Festival has raised over $4 million for patient programs and services provided by the NKF of Florida, including the Direct Aid program that gives money directly to dialysis patients who struggle financially because of kidney disease.

While the Surf Festival is certainly a lot of fun for everyone who attends, we hope that the story behind it doesn't get lost in all of the hoopla. So, thanks to the Salick brothers for all of their hard worl and thanks to the Cocoa Beach community for supporting the event year in and year out. And we definitely can't forget the hundreds and hundreds of volunteers who work year round to make this event possible. Thanks for giving your time and effort to help those in need.

So, please come out and support the event and if you want more information about kidney disease and how you can support the NKF of Florida, visit www.kidneyfla.org or call 1-800-927-9659. For more information about the Surf Festival, visit www.nkfsurf.com.