Billauer suffered an accident at the age of 17 on March 25, 1996, hitting his head on a shallow sandbar after being knocked off his surfboard by a wave.
After graduating from Malibu High School, Billauer eventually enrolled at San Diego State University with an emphasis in communications.
[2] Through this foundation, Jesse is taking a leading role in awareness and activism for spinal cord injury related quality of life programs.
Billauer was also featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Dateline NBC, Good Morning America, While You Were Out, E!
On October 26, 2014, Billauer married his longtime girlfriend, Samanta Pearson, at the historic Adamson House in Malibu.