Three Years After Life-Altering Injury, Santa Barbara Surfer Collin Bosse Marks ‘Alive Day’

Three years later, the Bosse family has given the date a new name. April 8 — the day Collin Bosse, then 23, dove into shallow water and was left paralyzed from the chest down — is now marked as his “Alive Day,” the moment that nearly took his life but instead reshaped it.

The lifelong Santa Barbara surfer and San Marcos High School grad was swimming in Mission Bay in 2023 when he suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury. Now 26, Bosse is finishing his MBA at the University of San Diego and has returned to surfing — an achievement made possible through a mix of community support and a custom board. Still, his recovery remains both physically and financially demanding.

Since the accident, the community that rallied around him in its immediate aftermath has continued to show up. A GoFundMe launched by family and friends has raised nearly $300,000 through about 1,900 donations. But as Bosse enters his fourth year of recovery, the need persists.

“April 8, 2026, is Collin’s THIRD ‘Alive Day’ for which we are so grateful,” his mother, Holly Bosse, wrote in a recent update. “He didn’t drown and die, he didn’t get a TBI [traumatic brain injury], he has some mobility in his arms, he has supporters like you who help him pay for PT [physical therapy] and his great caregiver, he has wonderful friends who have stuck by him, he is almost done with his Master’s in Business Administration, he is ALIVE.”

That gratitude sits alongside the long-term cost of survival.

“As we enter into this fourth year, there is one glaring thing that has become quite clear: This is an EXPENSIVE injury,” she wrote.

Ongoing expenses — many not covered by insurance — include physical therapy, caregiving, accessible housing, and specialized equipment. Now 26, Bosse is also responsible for his own insurance, which his family says costs about $1,000 per month. A weekday caregiver adds roughly $3,000 monthly, while physical therapy runs close to $2,000.

“The lifetime costs for a 25 year old with a c5-c8 cervical spinal cord injury [are] almost $3.5 million,” Holly Bosse wrote, citing estimates from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

In response, the family has raised its fundraising goal to $1 million — a figure that represents only a portion of projected lifetime care costs.

The financial strain is compounded by the family’s daily logistics. Bosse’s father recently retired from a 24-year career with the City of Santa Barbara and now works for the City of Rancho Santa Fe, while also handling Collin’s overnight care. His mother, a 3rd-grade teacher with the Goleta Union School District, splits her week — teaching in Santa Barbara and commuting to San Diego to help manage his daytime care. Bosse’s sister, a deputy attorney general based in San Diego, lives nearby and helps where she can.

“It is quite a juggle, but our family is committed to giving Collin all the support he needs and deserves,” Holly Bosse said.

That future remains active and forward-looking. Alongside his studies, Bosse continues intensive physical therapy, while balancing coursework and daily care needs. He has returned to the water, as he promised years ago: “I will 100 percent surf again.” Since then, he has traveled, taken part in adaptive surfing in Hawai‘i and adaptive skiing in Mammoth, and been beside his sister and his friends at weddings — continuing, as his mother put it, to “LIVE.”

Support from Santa Barbara has not waned. Local businesses, lifeguards, and athletic groups have hosted fundraisers, while friends and community members continue to contribute — what Holly Bosse described as a “giant bear hug” from home.

“While we could wallow in self-pity, Collin is out living his best life to the best of his abilities,” she wrote. “Everyday [sic] is still a struggle…. But, he embraces the challenges with grace, positivity and a sense of calm that is so inspiring.”