Surfing, Hollywood, and Dwarfism with Christophe Zajac-Denek

Wild Ideas Worth Living

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4.7 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Christophe Zajac-Denek was just a couple of days old when he was diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism called cartilage-hair hypoplasia. Doctors told his parents that he might never be able to ride a bike or go for a run. Despite his physical limitations, Christophe gets out on the water to surf anytime he can.

Transcript

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0:00.0	What adventures, big or small, are on your bucket list?
0:05.9	Have you or someone you know gone after a wild idea that we should know about?
0:10.8	Send an email to podcasts at REI.com and let us know we're always looking for more stories
0:17.8	about bugging the norm and going after wild ideas.
0:34.0	I can always see myself on the replay camera because I'm the only one that looks like a two
0:40.7	by four in a wetsuit on top of a surfboard because I can't bend my back at all.
0:48.0	So I have to be in the perfect spot on the board and the perfect spot on the wave to just
0:52.9	be able to you know get in and I figured it out it's I figured out what works for me.
1:00.9	Kristoff Zajak Denik has been obsessed with surfing since he was 14 years old.
1:06.0	He loves riding waves, enjoying the sunlit blue water and being part of the boisterous
1:10.9	surfing community.
1:12.6	But Kristoff has had to learn how to make the sport work for his body.
1:16.6	When he was just a couple of days old, Kristoff was diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism
1:22.2	called cartilage hair hypoplasia.
1:24.7	Doctors told his parents that he might never be able to ride a bike or go for a run.
1:32.2	Today Kristoff stands at four feet four inches tall.
1:35.6	He can't bend his back and the bones in his legs have been surgically altered.
1:40.2	Despite his physical limitations, Kristoff gets out on the water anytime he can.
1:46.2	I'm Shelby Stanger and this is Wild Ideas' Worth Living, an R.I. co-op studios production.
1:53.2	Over the course of his life, Kristoff Zajak Denik has gone after a lot of wild ideas.
2:01.9	He's competed in surfing competitions, toured all over the world as a professional drummer,
2:07.1	and acted in some major TV shows and films.
	...

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