This post is dedicated to the day Jake broke his leg…not only as a memory to look back on but also as a reminder for Jake to think twice about his actions in the future lol.

On Saturday, we went on a day hike out to Malibu Creek with our friends from Jake’s program along with Cindy’s sister and her sister’s boyfriend. The hike started out pretty normal– we were all excited to finally be out in nature (even though it was SO HOT).

Malibu Creek is a pretty popular hiking spot in Los Angeles. It’s relatively easy, there’s lots of rock climbing areas, and the trail leads you to a creek at the end! Lots of people bring swim suits to take a dip and cool off.

There are also a few cliffs around for cliff jumping… and Jake loves cliff jumping…

The thing is… because the water is so murky… it’s hard to tell if there are rocks around the cliff or if the water just under the cliff is deep enough to jump in to. Lots of people were jumping off the cliff, so it didn’t seem like a big deal. Jake just happened to jump off the part of the cliff where there was a rock hiding in the water.

When he landed, he felt his ankle twist and something snap. He said that was the second most painful thing he’s ever experienced in his life. He nearly went into shock. This isn’t the first time Jake’s been injured from cliff jumping. When he was younger, the same exact thing happened. Except that time, he only sprained his ankle.  Anyways, we were luckily able to find a CA State Trooper to drive Jake out, so he wouldn’t have to hike out…or worse…be flown out…

It seems like 2020 is the year of Jake’s medical emergencies. He ended up with a maisonneuve fracture (apparently this specific type of fracture is very common in cliff jumping injuries). He’s got a splint on it for now and we’ll be going back to put a cast on and see if he’ll need surgery.

Always be careful when cliff jumping– take the time to scope out the area and make sure the water is deep enough. Even if people are jumping, you never know which areas are safe until you inspect them all yourself.

It sucks that Jake’s mobility is limited. We’re hoping he’ll recover quickly!