PKD Patient Flying High

San Francisco Man Works as Kitesurfing Instructor

When Andrea Benucci was 16 years old, he and his sister were both diagnosed with PKD.  The disease has taken a toll on his immediate family, taking the life of his grandmother and, recently, his father.

The 36-year-old native of Italy says that the fears brought on by a chronic illness were hard to ignore, and he struggled to stop the feeling that PKD made him weak.

“I think that a big risk for people with ADPKD like me—is to frame our mind into the category of a ‘sick person’ and live our life waiting in fear for health problems to come,” he said.

So Andrea decided to do something to help battle that attitude.  On his boss’ recommendation, Andrea tried his hand at kitesurfing, where an airborne “power kite” pulls the rider through the water on a small surfboard.  With the power kite flying as much as 100 feet above the water, kitesurfers can reach speeds of up to 30 mph. Because of the high speeds, a change in the wind can cause an inexperienced rider to be pulled high into the air, often resulting in dangerous falls.

But for Andrea, the risks of the sport were exactly what he was looking for.

“It was love at first sight,” he said.

In fact, Andrea loved it so much that he decided to become a kitesurfing instructor, partially as a way to help pay for the expensive equipment that is needed to kitesurf.  He recently achieved his goal of becoming a certified instructor, and he works for a school in San Francisco, a place he says has may have the best wind conditions in the country.

Most importantly, he says that the psychological importance of staying active whether it’s kitesurfing or a more “tame” activity is critical for PKD patients. 

“There’s that attitude of being sick, which doesn’t help anyone,” he said. “To be involved in something that is so fun, and is considered extreme, it really helps.”

He also stresses that kitesurfing can be a low-risk activity, as long as one gets the proper training.

“If you know what you’re doing, kitesurfing isn’t that dangerous,” he said. “I hurt myself more biking to work in crowded, neurotic San Francisco traffic than I do kitesurfing.”

“It’s really just about staying active and keeping both your body and mind as healthy as possible,” he continued.  “That’s the most important thing to do.”