Below Deck fans will never forget Season 6 when Ashton Pienaar suddenly went overboard in a horrible accident.
Ashton’s ankle got caught in a tow line, which pulled him under the water in seconds.
Cameraman Brent Freeburg broke the fourth wall, immediately dropping the camera and jumping in to save Ashton without thinking.
Lucky for Ashton, Brent did because he literally saved the yachties life.
Now Brent is fighting for his life after suffering two strokes that left him in a coma.
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Ashton shared his story about Brent as a GoFundMe page was launched to help out the cameraman.
Below Deck alum Ashton Pienaar speaks out about Brent Freeburg
Taking to Instagram, Ashton shared a video of him and Brent at the Below Deck Season 6 reunion show. They spoke with Andy Cohen as Kate Chastain and Josiah Carter looked on.
In the footage, Ashton gets emotional and praises Brent for his actions. He even calls Brent “a real-life hero” and shared his hopes that someday he could do something to make Brent proud.
A flip of the screen turns to Ashton, revealing the memory hits hard after learning that Brent was in a coma after having two strokes. Feeling helpless, Ashton turned to social media for prayers before telling Brent to “stay strong, buddy.”
The caption on the IG post read in part, “Some people leave an impact on your life that you can never repay. Brent is one of those people for me. I just heard that he’s suffered a stroke, and it’s a tough thing to process when someone who’s given you so much is now facing their own battle.”
What happened to Below Deck cameraman Brent Freeburg?
According to the GoFundMe page for Brent titled Help Brent Freeburg, Our Cameraman Hero, he suffered two strokes and a subdural hematoma. Brent was found by a neighbor after his friends and family hadn’t heard from him in a few days.
The family is raising money to move Brent from Los Angeles, where he was found, to the East Coast to be near his family.
Not long after the news broke about Brent, Captain Lee Rosbach shared an update on Brent. The captain took to his Instagram Stories to reshare an article about Brent, to shed light on the situation and the GoFundMe page.
“Hey friends, I went to visit Brent yesterday. If you can Please donate. He is going to need all of our support,” Captian Lee wrote, including a prayer and heart emoji.
Ashton Pienaar has opened up about learning cameraman Brent Freeburg, who saved his life, was now fighting for his own life.
Our thoughts go out to Brent and his family, and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Below Deck is currently on hiatus on Bravo.
