Save a Life and Score Barrels With the Best Surf Raffle Ever

Too often our obsession with surf can cause us to become myopic, and dare I saw a little selfish. We paddle out and want to make sure we get our waves, even if its at the expense of others in the lineup. And our fixation on waves can lead to deprioritizing relationships, responsibilities, and all sorts of other things that can end up suffering at the hands of our surf addiction.

Fortunately, surfing also has a lot of good to offer, which is why we keep coming back to it day after day, year after year. And every once in awhile, we get the opportunity to let our surf obsession really make a difference. Right now is one of those opportunities.

Many of us have probably dreamt of doing a surf trip to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia, and Kandui Resorts is one of the most exclusive, expensive, luxurious resorts out there. Sadly, one of their former employees, Adek, recently gave birth to her baby nearly three months premature. The child has been interned in the neonatal unit at Rumah Sakit Ida dan Anak Bunda Hospital in Jakarta, where it has been on oxygen since birth. Early births such as this one often involve respiratory complications, as the lungs tend to develop around the 26^th week (Adek’s baby was born just shy of 26 weeks).

Adek doesn't have medical insurance, and has not been able to receive any assistance from the Indonesian government, but the treatment to keep her baby alive is very expensive. To help cover costs, her former employer Kandui Resorts has set out to collect donations—and offered donors an opportunity to win a stay for two at the exclusive resort. So far, the GoFundMe campaign has raised $57,000 of its $75,000 goal, and all of the money is going toward covering medical expenses for baby Adyatma eL Rahmi, and preparing Adek for the difficult process of caring for her young son once they are released from the hospital. And everyone who donates $50 is entered into a raffle to win the trip for two to Kandui Resorts!

“Our initial goal was raise $60,000 dollars to cover the projected expenses for Adyatma's stay in the ICU, and to date we have raised just over $50,000,” said Kandui Resort. “Adek has been able to pay the first two months of Adyatma's ICU expenses in full. Now that we are preparing for Adyatma to go home, we have increased our fundraising goal to $75,000. Adyatma is still dependent on supplemental oxygen to breathe, and will also have some persistent health care needs going forward. The goal is to cover all of the remaining hospital ICU costs, and also give Adek a small cushion to pay for any future medical expenses that Adyatma is likely to incur.

“We currently have just over 400 entries (donations) for the Kandui Resort trip for two. Our last time we gave away a trip to Kandui Resort in 2015, that raffle resulted in 27,000 entries. There has never been a better chance to win a trip to Kandui Resort, all while helping out one of Kandui Resort's family members. Qualifying for the raffle is simple. Click on this link for the Go Fund Me page, put in all of your info and make a donation of $50 or more. Each $50 donation buys you one ticket to our raffle ($50 = 1 ticket, $100 = 2 tickets, etc.). The raffle will be posted to our social media, and our winner will be announced on November 30, 2018.”

I don’t know about the rest of you, but this is one of the best raffles I’ve ever heard of. Help save a young life, earn a chance to win a trip to Kandui, and then send us photos of your getting tubed off your head! Here’s hoping we see you in a Mentawai barrel sometime soon!