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Barney Miller is a well-known name is Australia, and in the Australian surfing world. A quadriplegic surfer who’s been feverishly raising money for spinal cord injury research since his injury, Miller also shares his amazing life with his wife Kada online (a famous Australian singer), and in a book they wrote together about love.
And even cooler, Miller raises money for spinal cord injury research through a popular annual surfing tournament. Read on for the ongoing, awesome life story of Barney Miller.
Why He’s Fearless
Growing up in the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Miller was always in the water. A lifelong surfer who had a promising career before him, everything changed when Barney was in a car accident at 20 years old, breaking his neck from the C3 – C6 level (and missing death by a hair).
When he was initially injured, he was ventilator dependent and his doctors didn’t give him any hope for any return. But Barney, being who he is, refused to accept that as his reality, and worked his butt off in rehab not only getting off the ventilator but becoming a manual wheelchair-user.
After rehab, Barney went home and put the notion for the time being of getting better behind him, and needed to raise money for everything he needed. He and a friend decided to start The Barney Miller Charity Surf Classic, an annual surfing tournament where all the proceeds go straight to spinal cord injury research.
In 2009, Barney’s entire mind-view of what was possible changed when he heard about Project Walk, the activity-based rehab center in California. He spent more than 2 years at Project Walk.
After going to Project Walk, he was able to take a step unassisted with a walker and can now stand with minimal assistance. Barney’s married to Kate Southwell aka “Kada,” an Aussie singer-songwriter. When the two first met in 2007, Barney said he wouldn’t propose till he could get down on one knee, and that is what he did in 2012. They were married in 2015 and have been living an idyllic life in Australia, but boy have they been busy.
What’s Next?
There are not many couples we have profiled that have such a profound love connection, but Barney and Kada are one of these couples. After getting married, they decided to write a book together, The Essence of You and Me, which tells their love story, from how they met to how they support each other, with Kada not caring one lick about Barney’s disability.
After getting married, Barney decided to try adaptive surfing, which he excelled at, and he claimed the gold medal at the World Adaptive Surfing Championships in 2017. And it was because of Barney’s support that Kada released her first album. They are currently traveling Australia in an accessible sprinter van, sharing their adventures online via the Instagram account @BruceSPRINTERsteen
Barney’s story is one every newly injured person needs to hear. His strength and perseverance to continually improve, to explore, to grow and love, shows that with a little bit of fight, you can reach for your dreams.
– Buy their book, The Essence of You and Me
ideas@spinalpedia.com
