Carter Viss embraced his new mission in life within the hour that he regained consciousness at St. Mary's Medical Center.
A week earlier, on Thanksgiving Day 2019, the Jupiter marine biologist was struck and nearly killed by a 36-ft. motor boat while snorkeling off Palm Beach. He remembers watching his right arm sink to the bottom of a reef after the boat's propellers severed it at the elbow. He remembers the water clouding with blood from gashes in both legs. He remembers thinking he was about to die in the ocean before a friend and a good Samaritan came to his aid. He remembers the painful ambulance ride before blacking out in the emergency room where doctors were unsure whether he'd survive.
Connected to a maze of tubes and machines in the intensive care unit and coming to terms with the loss of his arm and the possibility he may never have full use of his legs, he channeled his Christian faith and focused on what he regards as his good fortune -- being part of God's plan to make something wonderful out of something terrible.
"All right, I survived," he remembers thinking in those first waking moments. "Now I've got a lot of potential to make an impact on ocean conservation and boating safety. That's what I want to do. I'm going to use this to its fullest.''
Five years later, Viss has followed through on that pledge and so much more. And he admits he is surprised by the inspirational turns his life has taken.
More: With request from victim who lost his arm, Palm Beach man avoids jail time in tragic Thanksgiving accident
Among the highlights:
"It's pretty unbelievable to think how far I've come,'' Viss, 30, said, "and how far I will go five years from now.''
Another milestone will happen on Feb. 7 when the Carter Viss Foundation hosts its first annual fundraising gala. It will be held at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, where Viss worked as a marine biologist at the time of his accident.
The semi-formal event will feature dinner, a silent auction, the official launch of "Found in the Wake" and two musical performances, one by Jupiter country music artist Ricky Young and one by Viss, who will play on piano with his left hand Chopin's "Ocean Etude."
"It's going to be an elegant night out,'' he said.
The community is invited. Individual tickets are $325 with the proceeds helping the foundation continue its mission to promote water safety, support limb trauma survivors and develop a 3-D diver's down device.
While raising money is the gala's focus, the event is also a celebration of Viss' recovery, perseverance and the impact he has had on promoting water safety.
"Carter is a brave man who has come a long way from almost facing death to now becoming an inspiration for not just watermen, but also others who have suffered similar injuries,'' said Aaron Stasiak of "The Qualified Captain," a popular boating safety podcast.
Stasiak interviewed Viss for an episode that he said reached around 23,000 listeners on YouTube and another 20,000 on Spotify and Apple.
Viss also has worked closely with the National Safe Boating Council through its Waves of Hope program, a coalition of families and individuals who have been involved in a boating tragedy. The program uses their personal stories to educate boaters on the importance of boating safety.
Viss has shared his story at several of the coalition's International Boating and Water Safety Summits and played piano at two closing ceremonies.
"With 240 attendees listening, there was not a dry eye in the room,'' said Peg Phillips, the council's executive director.
"What inspires me most about Carter is the way he has processed what happened to him, and his outlook on his future,'' she said. "I have never heard a bitter word from him about the tragedy. It would be so easy to be resentful and depressed. But Carter is resilient and grateful for the life he has. It has been a joy to watch Carter grow stronger and use his experience to drive change in dive and boater safety.''
Signed copies of "Found in the Wake" will be available for purchase at the event. The book includes a chapter about Danny Stanton, the Palm Beacher who was piloting the boat that struck Viss.
Stanton was charged with reckless operation of a vessel, a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to a year behind bars. He originally pleaded not guilty to the charge. But as part of an agreement, he changed his plea to a "guilty best interest plea," which means a defendant does not admit guilt to any offense, but agrees that a guilty plea is in his best interest under the circumstances.
At Stanton's sentencing hearing in November 2020, Viss said he didn't want Stanton to serve any jail time. He convinced a judge to sentence Stanton to 75 hours of community service, a year of probation, a $1,000 fine, and a mandate to do extensive lobbying for larger dive flags and marine safety measures.
Stanton finished the terms of his sentence and has continued to work with Viss to promote safety awareness. He was interviewed by Leila Viss, Carter's mom, for his chapter in the book, sharing details about his life before and after Thanksgiving Day 2019.
For Viss' parents, Chuck and Leila Viss, the gala represents the culmination of multiple miracles and "communities" that helped Carter survive and flourish after his recovery.
They said those communities include the first responders and witnesses to the accident; the students and parents from Carter's alma mater, Palm Beach Atlantic University, "who circled Carter's hospital bed as nurses and prayer warriors''; and strangers who followed Carter's plight on an online Caring Bridge journal and who contributed to a GoFundMe to help support the family in the months after the accident.
"Chuck and I clung to Carter's courageous words -- 'I can have more impact now than before the accident' -- and firmly believe that Carter's mindset from Day 1 led to where he is today,'' Leila said.
"Carter's foundation is a conduit of his appreciation for these communities and a way to pay it forward.''
As a reporter for The Palm Beach Post, Joe Capozzi wrote extensively about Carter Viss and the accident. After leaving The Post in December 2020, Capozzi stayed in touch with the Viss family and helped edit early drafts of their book, "Found in the Wake."
Tickets: $325. Proceeds go to limb trauma survivors, water safety promotion and the development of a 3D divers-down device.
Info: cartervissfoundation.org