Family seeks help with treatment for injured Maui visitor

A 67-year-old Oregon visitor who sustained critical injuries after a huge wave struck him while swimming on Maui’s south shore hopes to soon travel to Seattle for spinal injury treatment.

Bill Hilbert of Portland is in the intensive care unit at the Queen’s Medical Center recovering from injuries. A Marine veteran, Hilbert and his family are trying to raise funds to transport him to a Veterans Administration spinal cord rehabilitation center in Seattle, where he can receive specialized treatment. His insurance doesn’t cover transportation costs, which are estimated at $50,000 to $70,000.

Hilbert was in waist-deep water off Makena State Park, also known as Big Beach, when a huge wave hit him at about 12:30 p.m. April 23. His daughter, Hannah Partridge, said he disappeared under the surf and resurfaced, floating face-down.

Family members struggled through a wave set to reach Hilbert, who was unconscious, and bring him to shore. “He wasn’t breathing. He had no pulse,” Partridge said Tuesday during a phone interview from Oregon. “We were screaming and crying.”

Lifeguards performed CPR and revived Hilbert before paramedics arrived. He was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition before he was transported by medevac to Queen’s.

The accident left him with two crushed thoracic vertebrae. “There were bone shards sticking out of his spinal cord,” Partridge said. He also fractured three vertebrae in his neck and suffered several facial bone fractures including a broken nose.

Hilbert, an avid runner who works in the Clackamas Education Service District, underwent surgery that involved inserting plates in his neck and screws in his thoracic vertebrae to stabilize his spine.

Partridge said her father is now in stable condition and slowly recovering, regaining movement in his arms but has no sensation below his chest.

The family getaway on Maui was Hilbert’s first time on the Valley Isle. The vacation was also the first with his entire family in 15 years. Family members set up a Facebook page, “Pray for Bill,” that provides updates on his condition.

“We’re very strong Christians. We really believe that God is going to heal him. We already saw a lot of miracles,” said Partridge. She added that Hilbert has made progress since he was admitted at Queen’s, when he had no sensation or movement below his neck.

A GoFundMe account also has been created for Hilbert to help with transportation expenses. To make a donation, visit go fundme.com/billhilbert.