Cancer Survivor Row 2008 Theme "WORLD PEACE THROUGH INNER PEACE"
If you want to find Cork Friedman, your best bet is to look toward the ocean. Although Cork grew up in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, he spent every summer on Long Beach Island along the Jersey shore. He learned to sail with his family at the age of six and never looked back. Cork's affinity for the water turned into a summertime profession when he began working for the Barnegat Light Beach Patrol in 1983. He has been an ocean rescue lifeguard and competitive surfboat rower off and on since then.
Who's helping Cork?
Since the 2006 Melbourne to Jacksonville row, Cork's relied on the skills of some pretty special people. In March, Cork had ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery (ULC) on his left elbow performed by Dr. Kumar Kadiyala of Mt. Sinai Medical Center. One year later, he's enjoying an elbow that's near 100%.
20 years of rowing large, fixed-seat lifeguard surfboats and a stress fracture in his thoracic vertebra has played havoc on Cork's back. Cork reached out to Dr. Todd Narson of the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic www.miamibeachdoc.com , and Maria Forrest of Forrest Palates in Miami www.forrestpilates.com .
Dr. Narson specializes in "natural sports medicine" and his office treats patients with a combination of chiropractic care, physical therapy, Graston instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization, therapeutic laser, massage and injury rehabilitation. They have been providing much needed pain relief in both Cork's upper and lower back using a myriad of techniques. "Cork started coming in with intense lower back pain, nearly crawling at times, he took our advice to heart, he persisted, made some functional changes and together we were able to help him get back to training". With the findings of the recent MRI, we've confirmed that Cork has an unstable spinal segment in his lower back that keeps coming back to haunt him. His persistence in overcoming it is amazing. His dedication to completing the "2008 cancer survivor row" is beyond belief. We both have family members who have passed away from cancer and him rowing in this means a lot to both of us.
Cork: "There have been times when I've gone into Dr. T's office doubled over in pain thinking there's no way I can get back into the boat and train for a 175 mile row. Dr. T and his staff have continually worked me back, allowing me to continue rowing."
Maria Forrest is a certified palates instructor and owner of Forrest Palates in down town Miami. Cork came to Maria with a very tall order; to undo all of the bad postural habits his body has reverted to over years of fixed seat rowing and a severe back injury. "Cork came to me understanding that he needed to rebuild his core in order to correct his back problems. Pilates focuses on development of core body muscles. Core muscles that are very important for the support of our spines. Cork had pain stemming from excessive movement and degeneration of the intervertebral discs and joints and has been really benefiting from a Pilates exercise program. The Pilates program also teaches awareness of movement habits that may stress the spine, and helps Cork to change these habits to those that preserve neutral alignment."
Cork: I will tell you that without Maria's expertise teaching Palates and working with me over the past months, I could not possibly row in this Novembers' 175 mile Row for Peace and Inner Peace. She assessed my condition and customized a palates routine that not only brought my core strength back, but increased my overall health and has all but eliminated my chronic back pain.
Cork went to college at the University of Tampa where he played NCAA division II soccer and graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree. It was during this time that Cork got the Florida bug and would later move to South Florida.
After working in the film and video production industry for ten years in Philadelphia, Cork moved to Miami in 1999 and now directs and produces for film and broadcast television throughout the United States. Among Cork's recent credits, he directed the hit prime time documentary series "Miami Slice" for Bravo, which profiles Miami's most skilled plastic surgeons, following them in their professional and personal lives.
Cork meets Bob. Bob meets Cork.
In 2000, Cork was training to row to Bimini in the Bahamas to bring awareness of the horrific animal neglect and abuse problem in Miami Dade County, and to raise money for the Humane Society.
These days, Cork races and cruises his J/27 sailboat "Rum Lime" in the waters of South Florida, and rows a Little River Heritage 15. Cork's production company "Rum Lime Productions, LLC" is the producer of the feature documentary "Row Bob row, curing cancer one stroke at a time."
Bob quotes: "' I remember seeing this one guy rowing a lifeguard boat past us every evening. He rowed like he was possessed, fast and hard. I tried to meet him by getting in my own boat and chasing him down, but that boy could row. I never caught up to him. Then one day I was coming in from a row when I saw him putting his boat on the trailer. I struck up a conversation and remember him saying he could not talk long since he had an appointment with his physical therapist. No wonder as hard as he rows. The next thing we knew it was two hours later and a lifetime friendship had begun."
In August of 2000, Cork left from Key Largo in his unmodified lifeguard surfboat and became the first person to ever row solo from the United States to the Bahamas.
