My name is Michael Vecchio, I am a local artist, of Montauk, New York, an ocean lifeguard and craftsman. I came up with the idea of building locally sourced art while overcoming a serious life altering injury. Before Montauk Drift Company, I was an ocean lifeguard and finish carpenter but a world surf traveler at heart. To me my life would not be the same if you were to take that away. Unfortunately, last year that happened to me. I was on a surf trip and struck the bottom surfing what seemed to be a normal wave, but turned out to be a life altering wave. I hit the bottom striking my shoulder, head and neck. After feeling an electric shock go through my whole body, I blacked out and awoke in about eight feet or so of water. While I was trying to figure what had just happened, I started swimming to the surface but my right arm was not working.  While pulling to the surface and regaining consciousness, I found the light and gasp of fresh air. I reached for my board and held on tight as a wave hit me in the back and washed me to shallow water. While I was in shallow water, I was so greatfull that my legs worked but immediately knew that I had broken my neck. I walked myself out of the water because no one was around. So I sat down in a chair and held my neck straight and the first person I saw I told to get me medical attention. While sitting in the hospital I was thinking my lifeguarding and surf trips are going to be over, not knowing if I'll ever regain feeling or have movement in my arm, back and shoulder. I call these the dark times that helped me change my life. I sat there for days thinking about life, wondering why bad things happen to good people and said to myself: you can't feel sorry for yourself, if there is anybody who is going to get through this, it's you. This injury made me realize that I'm not as invincible as I thought and I was given a second chance. So it's from here on where I made sure I would do everything in my power to get me back to doing everything I loved again. So the months after the injury I pushed myself to stay positive and come up with alternative plans for my life. Not knowing if I was going to lifeguard or surf again, I tried to think of something I could do to keep me in tune and close to ocean which means so much to me and gives me inner peace. While taking a meditative walk on the beaches of Montauk, I sat on a piece of driftwood and starred at it for a long while. Admiring its natural organic beauty. Sitting so perfectly sun bleached and silvered with the root system exposed. I thought to myself I need to have this in my place. I soon realized that every time I went for walk I had these organic driftwood ideas for our homes.  After the ideas were flowing, I started collecting driftwood from the Montauk local beaches and creating the images that were in my head. It was so therapeutic to me and I realized that I was creating something others loved as much as I do. 
       Right now, I am happy to say that I have mostly overcome my injury and  I am back to doing all of the things I'm passionate about. Not taking it for granted. I'm back lifeguarding at Hither Hills and back living my winters with my friends in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica and surfing in my backyard and to add, I met an amazing woman. LIFE IS GOOD. So who knows where you are going to be or what's going to happen in life. What I do know is I couldn't see this from the beginning, it was hard to overcome and was led down a good road. Let's call it the road to happiness. Don't take anything for granted. Life is short.