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About Melissa
I've been a water lover all of my life.
Swimming has always been my favorite sport, and when I swam in the ocean for the first time, I immediately fell in love with the waves and the incredible wildlife under the Sea.
Be Like Water. Be in the Flow.
Why Kangen Water?
The trajectory that took me on this life path with Kangen Water® first began in 2011 when I spoke on stage about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a mass of plastic debris that spans from California to Hawaii, and is nearly the size of the state of Texas. Surprisingly, there are actually 4 other "Gyres" just like this one in other parts of the globe!
My concern for the water and all the life contained within it is something I have been deeply passionate about, and I wanted to make a change. So, I started my journey to show people another way to have the very BEST water on Earth, without the plastic bottle.
The deeper I went down the rabbit hole, the more I learned about the misleading information out there about how bottled water is "supposed" to be better for you than tap. I am here to show everyone that It's pure hype and propaganda – and look at the expense it's costing us!
I LOVE water & ADVENTURE, and I was SEARCHING for a new way to live.
I love scuba diving and traveling. Therefore I was looking for something to fuel my adventures. Not just my adventures – I had a deeper desire; I wanted to fascinate, educate, and inspire others to join me on this quest.
Not only do I get the best water to share with everyone I meet, I can use this device for the rest of my life, and change my entire environment. This machine not only eliminates toxins internally – I can replace many of my household cleaners and detergents with this water.
The conditions that day were prime: a calm, shimmering blue ocean and the sound of sea lions echoed through the air. Once out at sea, just a few miles off shore from Point Piños in Pacific Grove, Captain Curtis– friend to the other 3 of us aboard his 23' motorboat– had me move to the bow and prepare to drop anchor.
While we were locating our dive spot, a paddle boarder we passed on our way was now passing us. "Where is he going?" I asked myself. As I looked out ahead of the paddle boarder, I had my answer. Just 3 miles offshore were 2 whale watching boats. With excitement, we motored in their direction and let the boat idle at least 200 yards away from the action. The whale watching boats are hardly ever on our side of the bay. Curtis looked at the fish finder monitor and reported that there were thousands of anchovies all the way down to 400 feet below the boat.
We watched in amazement as 4 gigantic humpbacks lunge fed on anchovies just a few hundred yards away. It was like watching nature in symphony. The whales had their very own natural prelude of sea lions and seagulls. Suddenly, there was a parting of the sea.
As the anchovies swirled just below the surface, it was a cue for all of them to get out of the way. First the sea lions moved, then the birds flew.... and UP came the whales. We must have been there for at least 30 minutes and I caught some great footage on my phone. However, less than 10 minutes later, I ended up losing it.
Curtis seemed to be on a schedule. I only say so because once we were far enough away from the activity of the breaching whales, the boat picked up speed and we were going at least 20 mph. As we moved onwards, I saw whales everywhere. I'd counted at least 10 in every direction, near and far.
I was keeping a careful watch every which way, when suddenly up from the depths arose a humpback whale – just enough for me to catch a glimpse of the hump, merely 4 feet from the bow, before he started to descend back beneath the surface. I had no time to react. As I lunged to my feet shouting "Whale", I reached for the boat rail on my left to hold steady.
I knew we were heading for a collision.
It was like hitting a brick wall. All I remember was Lights Out! All went pitch black and I heard some loud bangs. Moments later, I awoke to Curtis' voice repeating my name over and over again, and he was asking me if I was okay.
As the boat rose to a 45 degree angle off the side of the whale, I fell backwards and hit the windshield with my skull, which broke the glass. There was a lot of blood. The whale got away with a scratch, but he was 6 tons and we were just 1 ton. Everyone else onboard got bruised up, but nothing serious. They didn't know what happened because no one saw the whale but me. Luckily the boat was fine and no one went overboard. We got back to shore in 15 minutes and the calm seas helped me stay as still as I could, with my friend Stephanie holding me tight all the way to the dock.
A helicopter and an ambulance were waiting and the Monterey Fire Department was there to help get me off the boat.
I sustained 14 injuries and the worst part was that my nerves got severely stretched from my neck all the way down my left arm, through my hand and fingers. It’s called a Brachial Plexus Injury (BPI) and it's extreme nerve damage that happens when the arm gets pulled super hard – this usually happens in motorcycle accidents. All the nerves leading from the top of the spine get super-stretched, or totally break, and it causes a type of paralysis.
It’s been a life-changing injury and a challenge for sure, but I am strong and remain positive nonetheless.
Laughter, Gratitude and Joy are my saving grace. 🐋💦
The Rescue