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A born and bred explorer and river rafter who’s even worked in Hollywood, Kelley Kalafatich is one of the world’s most talented female rafters. Having been all over the world exploring rivers, her carefree life was sidelined by something she couldn’t even see.
Kelley has not only managed to move on after a permanently debilitating illness, she’s figured out she has a lot more inner strength than she ever realized; that’s right the “tough river rafter lady” with no fear. For a peek at this incredibly inspiring woman, here is the story of our SCI Superstar this week, Kelley Kalafatich.
Why She’s Fearless
Growing up in the Sierra Nevadas greatly influenced Kelley. She fell in love with the river as a young woman, realizing she loved to raft down them. By the time 1979 came she was 18 years old and fiercely wanting to become river guide. It took some work to prove her abilities, but soon river rafting companies were calling her for her help.
As the years progressed, Kelley’s river skills continue to grow, so much so that she was asked to be Meryl Streep’s stunt-double in The River Wild. And then in 2004, she was asked by some close friends if she’d like to accompany them to Africa, specifically to explore a region of the Blue Nile River that had yet to be rifled through; always exciting no matter your ability.
But while there, wading in perfectly warm water adjusting her kayak, she came into contact with a waterborne virus that entered her body; everyone there in fact that day was infected by this virus. And three years later, the virus decided to no longer lay dormant in Kelley’s body. By 2007, she had developed Transverse Myelitis and was paralyzed from the waist down.
What’s Next?
Since becoming paralyzed, Kelley has worked incredibly hard to retain some independence and return of function. In the early years of her recovery, she was huge into cycling and her at-home exercise program, but a couple of years after her injury she began experiencing extreme neuropathic pain.
This past summer the pain was at its worst and Kelley had to be hospitalized. After a first failed attempt with one pain-relieving pump, Kelley tried another one. The second pump however had issues as well, causing Kelley to get a severe infection that required her to be hospitalized. Fortunately, she’s now out of the hospital and is once again focusing on returning to a normal life.
It’s never easy losing your so-called identity with the onset of your spinal cord injury, but that always seems to happen no matter who you are. Kelley proves you got to fight. You may not be as good as you were before, and that’s perfectly ok. All that matters is that you try.
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