Matt Crofton

Mighty Matt Crofton

When Matt Crofton slipped into a coma in 2010, doctors told his family and friends to say their goodbyes.

It was supposed to be a sad end to a terrible ordeal: Crofton had been rushed to the hospital after sarcoidosis and histoplasmosis attacked his body in what doctors called "the perfect storm." They said he had forty-eight hours to live.

But Crofton defied the odds by surviving sixteen days in a coma and another six weeks in the hospital. Less than a year later, while battling post-traumatic depression, he vowed to become the first person to paddleboard the length of the Mississippi River.

From the headwaters of the Mississippi in Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the river's end in New Orleans, Louisiana, Crofton chronicles his inspiring journey with photos and journal entries.

Gripping, poignant, and fun, Crofton's adventure story is a must-read for anyone who has ever suffered from a severe illness, depression, or from a frustration with the routine. Expand your horizons and appreciate everything that life, nature, and the human spirit have to offer with Mighty.