Jesse Coombs back on the water after breaking fingers

January 24, 2008

By Jesse Coombs

As you may have heard, I broke three fingers in Newfoundland when I hit a rock 20' down on a 30' waterfall. I screwed up my line and know the outcome was completely my fault. The good news is that was only three months ago, and I was just given the green light by my doctor to get back in the water. I've also started rock climbing again. Now the hand dexterity and strength are only a fraction of where they need to be, but I am so stoked to be back doing what truly makes my heart happy. The doctor said my recovery has been remarkable, and the physical therapist is stunned. The physical therapist said that considering the compound fractures I had, he was concerned about me getting a full recovery. But he kept that to himself as he didn't want to mentally affect my recovery. It is been a very slow and steady process with micro progress everyday. I can't tell you how happy I am to be looking at the home stretch. The doctor said the hand will continue to improve over the next 9 months. It certainly has not been a fun process, but the benefit of having a short term memory when it comes to stuff like this is that I am more excited about future opportunities than ever before.

To see a quick glimpse of what the hand looked like right after the injury check out the sick trailer of 'Here and Now'.

To see a full account of the line, the injury and my getting back in the water and on international kayaking trips check out our upcoming film: Hotel Charley: The Lost World

See you on the river... again!

Best

Jesse