The sleepy town of Elliston came together to bid farewell to their favorite daughter, Pascale Honore, with a traditional surfer paddle out and beach party that raged on well into the early hours.
Honore inspired millions of people after recovering from a car accident that left her paralyzed. She battled through depression and rehabilitation to continue to live her life the way she wanted. Somewhere along the way, Tyron Swan, a friend of her son’s, developed the idea enabling her to pursue her love of the ocean by taking her surfing. Using duct tape. Eighteen years after her accident, Honore caught her first wave taped to Ty’s back.
“That first wave was mind blowing,” she remembered. “I tried to take in the color, the sound, the smell of the ocean. I looked up to this wall of water — I felt part of it. That first wave got me addicted, I just wanted to do it again. It was the ultimate connection, riding the ocean.”
Last September Pascale Honore passed away due to health complications. She was 52.
“Surfing makes me feel free,” she said. “To me it’s about, regardless of limitations, you can still have a dream. Anything is possible.”
Thanks for the inspiration, Pascale. See you again.
