Photo Credit : Arenui Frapwell
The surgery for his ACL and MCL was daunting and postoperatively , Kemper felt he had taken several steps back . Working with Dr . ‘ G ’ Gubernick , the grueling therapy seemed never ending as he battled inflammation and strengthened his mental acuity to make his muscles fire after so much trauma .
Kemper ’ s support team from family and friends helped get him through it all . The feeling of water surrounding his body and wounds was a like a rebirth . Progressing in PT with Dr . ‘ G ’, time in the sauna and time in the ice , the momentum became celebrating smallest victories .
focus participants on breathing , moving and recovery . In fact , it was Laird Hamilton who strode into Kemper ’ s hospital room and declared , “ We ’ ve got to get you out of the hospital . Come with me to my house .”
With his family cheering him on from Hawaii , Kemper endured the agonizing process of learning to walk again at Hamilton and Reece ’ s home in California . Water and strength training were followed by physical therapy at Kobe Bryant ’ s Mamba Sports Academy . Then he would travel to Costa Mesa for therapy on his tissues and fascia .
Kemper was no stranger to heartache . He lost his brother at a young age , who was also a surfing savant .
“ My brother was ten years older than me and when he passed , I was just eight years old — and he was the first ever three-time national division winner at one time at just 13 years old , beating every amateur record there was ,” said Kemper . “ His injury led to a prescription drug addiction which led to other drugs , so he ended up overdosing — my idol was gone , my hero , the person I wanted to be , all of a sudden was just gone .”
After his own accident , what had happened to his brother weighed heavy on Kemper ’ s mind .
“ Even with four surgeries and stem cell treatments , I didn ’ t take so much as even an Advil after surgery — not sleeping for days , the pain I went through , even having watched my mom fight cancer and my brother fighting for his life , nothing compared to this kind of pain ,” said Kemper .
Follow along with Kemper ’ s journey on Instagram at @ billykemper .
“ Gabby and Laird let me live with them for six months in Malibu , training me and finding me the best surgeons and smartest biohacking health nerds , fitness and health enthusiasts — they all turned me into a different person ,” said Kemper . “ That ’ s also why now I see an opportunity to give back and in so many ways , I can ’ t ever pay them back , but I can help others like people helped me .”
In December of 2020 , Kemper was back out at the big-wave venue , the iconic Jaws in Maui .
What ’ s next for the fearless champion ? He ’ ll never be someone content with sitting back — he relishes being a father , being at home with his wife Tahiti , and on the waves . Kemper says his body feels really good and he is ready for what ’ s to come in this winter ’ s surfing competitions , including Pipeline and Jaws .
Having become a self-described clean-eating health nerd in his own right , Kemper is grateful to companies like Garden of Life for providing the elements that help make up his nutrition and supplementation that he needs to stay well .
Eating to his blood type and counting his macros on the road had been a challenge until the year he found out about Garden of Life .
“ I give massive thanks to Garden of Life to have so many products for people like me ,” says Kemper . “ I go on some of my trips and my suitcase consists of breakfast , lunch and dinner for five days and my friends are like are you going camping or on a survival course ?”
Kemper loves that people can be connected to Garden of Life for not only plant-based solutions , but also recovery shakes and electrolytes , and products like CBD with many perks to using each one .
“ Garden of Life has something for everyone , whether you are a pregnant woman , an Olympian , a child , or work in an office . I can give testimony that with what I put in my body , I feel better now than I did when I was 16 years old .”
Extraordinary Health ™ • Vol 42 29