Hurricane Sally survivor Chris Harper is paying it forward with donation to two children’s hospitals

Hurricane Sally survivor Chris Harper is paying it forward with donation to two children’s hospitals
Even if you don’t remember Chris Harper by name, you may recall the picture of him that circulated widely on social media in the aftermath of September16’s Hurricane Sally.
In the picture, Harper was sitting atop a Theo Baars Bridge piling about seven hours after he abandoned a boat docked at the Oyster Bar Marina. Just like the 30 other boats, including the sailboat he lived on, and the dock at the marina, Harper took a severe beating during Sally.
He said then it was the grace of God and his physical fitness – in that order – that kept him from joining his sailboat and a vast majority of the marina’s other vessels either at the bottom of the Intracoastal Waterway or piled up in pieces against the shore.
Almost eight months later, the 61-year-old is ready for this week’s surgery that will allow him to return to an active lifestyle that has always included riding a bicycle along the beach road, swimming a couple of miles a week in the Intracoastal Waterway and fishing for blackfin sharks on his kayak by the second sandbar in the Gulf.
Harper’s son, Adam, started a GoFundMe account to help his dad cover medical costs. But Harper said insurance has covered most of the cost of his upcoming shoulder operation, and it was more important for him to pay it forward. He decided to donate the money to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Mobile and St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis.
“St. Jude’s does so many miracles and they do so much for small children,” Harper said. “I wanted to do whatever I can to help their lives become better.”
In many ways, Harper surviving Hurricane Sally’s wrath was a miracle. He had been living on his 41 foot sailboat, Due South, for 18 months. But he had been around boats and the Gulf for 40 years. He had already ridden out two tropical storms when, at the request of its owner, he moved his gear to the 56-foot Sea Ray that was docked next to Due South to ride out Sally.
As the wind picked up and swells increased throughout the early evening, Harper was not concerned. By 1 a.m. on Sept. 16, the water in the marina had risen above the boardwalk adjacent to his boat. Still, all the marina’s boats remained securely tied.
If this was the extent of the storm, he would be fine. But it was not. The situation got exponentially worse in a hurry. Waves began crashing over the Sea Ray and the boat listed. He grabbed onto an adjacent pier pole and planned his next move. Winds were already blasting above 100 MPH.
By then, the only visible part of the abandoned Sea Ray was its black hull. His own boat was well secured and doing pretty well until the poles holding up the dock came loose. Eventually, Harper decided to let go of the pole and swim with the current through the marina to the first floor of the Oyster Bar Restaurant. He was pulled under the water by what he suspects was an undertow twice. Boats, including his own, were crashing into the marina in front of him. At one point, he was almost crushed by his friend’s 33 foot Morgan.
He was constantly being stung by jellyfish and rain pellets. Hanging onto a PVC pipe conduit with a nipple to secure himself in the corner of the restaurant, he dodged boats that were slamming into each other in front of him. So, separated shoulder and all, he let go of the pvc conduit and grabbed onto a piece of floating dock that he was somehow able to climb upon. He followed the current out into the Intracoastal Waterway and ended up near one of the bridge’s tenders. Thanks to a utility ladder, he was able to pull himself up out of the water with just his one arm.
With dry land under him for the first time since he jumped off the Sea Ray three hours prior, he knew he had survived the storm. His next step was to wait for daylight and for help, which came in the way of Josh McGee, a former Green Beret staying at an RV Park by the bridge.
“Everything good started happening for me once I got out of the water,’’ Harper said. “From the minute I got out of the water, the goodness I found in people to make all of this happen was unbelievable.
“A lot of people have less than I do. I will be OK,’’ he added.