An athlete's determination is not the same as that of a citizen.

As many surfing enthusiasts know, Costa Rican surfer Gilbert Brown suffered an accident last Sunday, fracturing his tibia and fibula.

The man was helped out of the water and had to wait about an hour to be attended to by an emergency vehicle, a situation that did not happen and he had to travel on his own to the Home Creek ebais, where he received general medical attention, thanks to his health insurance as a self-employed worker, however, due to the severity of the injury, he had to be transferred to the Tony Facio hospital in Limón Centro.

Once at the medical center in the Caribbean province, the surfer received more extensive care and it was decided to put his leg in a cast and wait until next month, for an opening for surgery or for when the procedure can be performed.

Brown states that he received very good treatment at both medical centers; however, due to the country's healthcare system, waiting so long for surgery of this nature is extremely difficult, as he earns his living from surfing, and waiting so long would worsen the injury and recovery.

The Costa Rican Surf Federation was consulted to see the possibilities of intervening for the athlete under his competition medical insurance; however, this only covers athletes if the accident occurs in activities organized by the federation and only Olympic cycle athletes are fully insured.

Luis Eladio Fernández González and Rafael Zamora López, specialists in Orthopedics and Traumatology in Sports Injuries, called the athlete and offered him facilities to carry out the intervention privately; however, since he does not have private insurance, which involves a high economic value, he will have to take care of the costs of the operation himself.

Through his friends, Gilbert is running a fundraising campaign for the surgery, which, including the procedure, medications, and the entire recovery process, has a total cost of around $10,000.

Link to contribute with a donation: https://gofund.me/690b0925

The fundraising effort is already at 50% of the total amount, and Brown is hopeful and grateful for the support of so many people.

“I thank everyone who has shown concern for my well-being in one way or another. Thank God, physically I'm doing well; it's just my leg, but I hope to get better. Emotionally, I'm doing well, very upbeat. Without a doubt, tomorrow, Wednesday, is a big day for me. Everything from the beginning has been a bit difficult, from the trip to the clinic, then to the hospital, and just getting a cast and acetaminophen and going home, and then having them ask for my phone number and tell me they'll call to see when there's an opening and schedule the surgery. It's a bit difficult, and the whole process of having a cast practically on my entire foot to avoid aggravating the injury makes things like getting around, bathing, and everything else much more complicated. My wife has had to help me with all of this, and well, being in this uncertainty of not knowing when the surgery will be and all that isn't good. I've been surfing for 30 years, I competed for more than 25 years, I still surf, and if there's a tournament in the country, I'll be there.” I compete, either on the National Circuit or elsewhere. I don't travel as much anymore because I no longer have sponsorships, but I take care of the things I need. I have self-employed insurance, and if the circumstances were different, or if they had given me a date, I would undoubtedly have waited. But unfortunately, it's very uncertain not knowing when the surgery will be performed, and for that reason, another solution had to be found. Many people might be upset, but I want to inform you that the surgery is expensive, approximately $7,000, and Dr. Luis Fernández Gonzales and Dr. Rafael Zamora López are trying to give me a good discount compared to the cost of the clinic and all their colleagues who will be part of the surgery. The rest of the money will be used for rehabilitation. I live in Playa Jacó and will have to travel to San José. Believe me, I'm not trying to take advantage of this situation, and I am extremely grateful to everyone for their help. We've already raised almost half the money in the last 20 hours, and I hope to reach the total amount soon. Again, I say from the bottom of my heart... "I'm not trying to cause any trouble, bad vibes, or negative comments. 50% of the money collected comes from people who know me and know that I'm very humble and would never try to take advantage of any situation," said the four-time national champion.

The Caribbean surfer will undergo surgery tomorrow, Wednesday, February 24th, in the afternoon at a private medical center in the capital, and we hope everything goes very successfully.

Written by: Enrique Hernández

General Management: Marco Montero