Mighty

Given forty-eight hours to live, Matt Crofton was told to say his farewells.

In 2010, author Matt Crofton was rushed to the hospital after sarcoidosis and histoplasmosis combined to attack his body in what was dubbed by doctors as “The Perfect Storm.” Suffering bone-marrow infections and massive internal bleeding, Crofton went into a coma and was given forty-eight hours to live. His family was told it was time to tell him good-bye. Yet, despite all the odds stacked against him, Matt survived sixteen days in the coma and another six weeks in the hospital. Less than a year later, while battling post-traumatic depression, Crofton took up paddle boarding and vowed to become the first person to paddle the length of the Mississippi River. Mighty chronicles his inspiring journey from the headwaters of the Mississippi in Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the river’s end in New Orleans, Louisiana. Crofton recounts his extraordinary encounters with other river travelers—the comical, the sinister, and the life-changing—along with his many triumphs and failures. In mesmerizing but down-to-earth prose and sprinkled with photos, posts, and journal entries, Mighty tells a true story that is at once gripping, encouraging, poignant, and fun. It will leave you with a difficult choice when you finish it—read the book all over again, or set off to find your own life’s adventure.