Scuabamau diving accident

[lindaincoz]

My sincerest heartfelt apologies to Opal, Gabi, Heath & their family & friends for any misleading &/or misinformed previous posts - I am so truly sorry they were posted.

I am very happy however to have spent some quality time with Opal's family today & be able to relay that YES Opal IS responsive & yes there is HOPE for recovery!

Opal was responsive after the accident & continues to have daily responsiveness. Her Brain is working fine, doc's are intentionally keeping her sedated, she is going thru chamber rides twice a day and it'll take some time before they/we know the outcome.

Yes, the ct scan showed there is some nerve damage, but it is wayyyyy too early to assume anything! It's going to take time folks .. and Opal is one Beep of a Fighter so please KEEP THE FAITH & Keep it Growing! and please keep those prayers of love, light & healing coming her way! ♥ WE LOVE YOU OPAL & PRAY FOR YOUR FULL RECOVERY ♥ !!

Heath as well as Opal's family have expressed their wishes for folks to please stop all the speculations so let's please show our respect & love for them & their families by doing so & to keeping the support & prayers abundant !!! They sincerely appreciate everyone's prayers & positive thoughts.

♥ YES SHE CAN ♥ !!

 

[cicopo]

I'm in total agreement with the message in post 157 (above on this page). Kevin didn't deserve the censored style comment in any way, and I can only think it was a mistake. Please keep us up to date & know we are very concerned, and in reality only a tiny percent of the people writing here are trying to derail the true intention of this thread.
Kevin, hold your head high, you've spearheaded this show of love & compassion, and although it's a troubling time you didn't deserve that short blast.

 

[thevalkyry]

lindaincoz: Thank you, thank you for any update at all. I am sure so many people, not just me, are checking this thread regularly. I am doubly, triply gald your post was positive. Positive thinking can do wonders and I am sure that if we just will it so we can all make Opal better with our collective thinking.

Those in the know, please keep the updates coming!

 

[Cozdrifter]

LindainCoz,

Thank you so much for your post !! It is wonderful to hear that Opal is responsive & there is hope for recovery - absolutely best news all day!! Positive thoughts & prayers for all 3 of the divers. Please tell Opal's family as well as Opal when she is ready that Paul & Debbi (Zebra) are praying for her. We have had great times with both Opal & Gabi. I had the very good fortune of being SM's very 1st customer when they opened the shop. Opal (and everyone who was & still is at the shop) are a huge part of my love for diving, and much more than that, they are good people & friends. Opal, we KNOW you can & will pull through !! We love you !!

 

[jgoldsmith]

heath our thoughts and prayers are with the whole scuba mau gang for a speedy recovery they are our family we have spent alot of time with i havent had the pleasure to meet you you are in our prayers along side all of them.to your comment about kevin it must be someone else you are refering to about the negative comments kevin has been as acurate as possible and he is like us spent a ton of time with scuba mau he is devastated also. gods speed and get well soon tell everyone we love you guys and yall never leave our minds thanks for the update and please keep us informed

 

[staffybull]

I am really sad reading this tonight. My fiance and I got engaged in Cozumel and had our first ocean dives w/ Gaby and Mau in June. Opal has to be the nicest person I've ever met. I know she is tough as hell and will definitely recover. Sometimes ****ty things happen to the best people. Gaby was so entertaining, safe, and really babied my fiance and I. My thoughts will be with you guys 24/7 and will be hoping for a good outcome for Opal, Gaby, and Keith. We love you guys!

Chris & Amber

 

[mrtoadfish]

i have been diving with scuba mau for years and cant say how much i care for and love them if some one would tell gabi and opal that toadfish sends his love and best to them i would greatly apriciate it
john aka toadfish

 

[DELMIKE]

My wife and i are glad to here some positive news, lets all keep the divers in our thoughts , hopes and prayers. We wish them well and pray for the best.
Michael and mary lou

 

[mlk2724]

The following is off of Cozumel My Cozumel: A Reliable Travel Resource from last night.

On a side note, I dove with both Gabi and Heath last week. I have been diving with Gabi probably close to 50 times and just met Heath and we did about five dives together. For anyone who does not know these two let me say that they are two very professional and safe divers. You would be hard pressed to find anyone better to be with underwater. Obviously this was an accident that they had no control over. Unfortunately accidents do occur in this sport. Our thoughts are with them and hope to see them all again real soon.



nauticab

Advanced Member

Group:Members
Posts:1,570
Joined:07-June 06
Gender:Female
Location:Cozumel
Posted Yesterday, 08:29 PM
kevins posts have been from second hand info. i personally went to clin san miguel and visited and spoke to her family, and also visited gabi and heath.
the scubaboard posts have been VERY WRONG. here is the deal, posted with permission from her family and from my speaking directly with gabi and heath to get the story straight.
while i know most of the details of the event, i will NOT post them to avoid any speculation and excessive criticizing. what is needed is positive hope, and prayers.

opal: never lost consciousness, but after the first few treatments, they seduced her to allow the treatments to work more effectively. she is experiencing total paralysis from neck down and has C2 damage, however the docs have no idea as to the extent of the damage and won't for a few more days of treatment and tests. brain wise, she is all there and with her eyes and mouth (while with tubes), is responsive to her family. she is on a breather, but can breathe on her own, albeit weak, so they keep her on the breather. her heart is strong.

gabi: he is experiencing paralysis from lower ribs down, but improving daily and with each treatment. yesterday he could not turn his head or bend his neck and woke up with a terrible pain in the head and neck which has since gone away. he is in excellent spirits, feels that with therapy that he will be ok. no more diving. one doc said maybe in two years. the other doc told him if he dives again, he will be risking his life. he is sticking with the 2nd doc's recommendation. he has no regrets for going deeper to save his boss/friend.

heath: similar hit as gabi, but with numbness and with help of a walker, can actually move around. his is the least severe, but still has tingling in all extremedies. his condition has improved as well.

if i see more rumors posted anywhere, i told her brother i would ask him and get the truth and post the truth. if you have any questions, please ask me and i will find out or tell you if i know. thanks everyone for the prayers. this will be a long road for all. [/B][/B]

 

[gypsyjim]

The following is off of Cozumel My Cozumel: A Reliable Travel Resource from last night.

On a side note, I dove with both Gabi and Heath last week. I have been diving with Gabi probably close to 50 times and just met Heath and we did about five dives together. For anyone who does not know these two let me say that they are two very professional and safe divers. You would be hard pressed to find anyone better to be with underwater. Obviously this was an accident that they had no control over. Unfortunately accidents do occur in this sport. Our thoughts are with them and hope to see them all again real soon.



nauticab

Advanced Member

Group:Members
Posts:1,570
Joined:07-June 06
Gender:Female
Location:Cozumel
Posted Yesterday, 08:29 PM
kevins posts have been from second hand info. i personally went to clin san miguel and visited and spoke to her family, and also visited gabi and heath (opal's boyfriend).
the scubaboard posts have been VERY WRONG. here is the deal, posted with permission from her family and from my speaking directly with gabi and heath to get the story straight.
while i know most of the details of the event, i will NOT post them to avoid any speculation and excessive criticizing. what is needed is positive hope, and prayers.

opal: never lost consciousness, but after the first few treatments, they seduced her to allow the treatments to work more effectively. she is experiencing total paralysis from neck down and has C2 damage, however the docs have no idea as to the extent of the damage and won't for a few more days of treatment and tests. brain wise, she is all there and with her eyes and mouth (while with tubes), is responsive to her family. she is on a breather, but can breathe on her own, albeit weak, so they keep her on the breather. her heart is strong.

gabi: he is experiencing paralysis from lower ribs down, but improving daily and with each treatment. yesterday he could not turn his head or bend his neck and woke up with a terrible pain in the head and neck which has since gone away. he is in excellent spirits, feels that with therapy that he will be ok. no more diving. one doc said maybe in two years. the other doc told him if he dives again, he will be risking his life. he is sticking with the 2nd doc's recommendation. he has no regrets for going deeper to save his boss/friend.

heath: similar hit as gabi, but with numbness and with help of a walker, can actually move around. his is the least severe, but still has tingling in all extremedies. his condition has improved as well.

if i see more rumors posted anywhere, i told her brother i would ask him and get the truth and post the truth. if you have any questions, please ask me and i will find out or tell you if i know. thanks everyone for the prayers. this will be a long road for all. [/B][/B]

Thanks. Everyone here is praying and wishing them the best possible recovery, and trying to be positive. It helps to get clear, accurate updates. Those updates help keep the rumors from spreading.