Jacob Discovers the Key to Embracing His Full Potential at Shriners Children’s

Jacob is a 31-year-old patient alumnus with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). He is a content creator, entrepreneur, model, professional surfer and inspirational speaker based in Long Beach, California. Jacob’s content focuses on empowerment and optimization – inspirational topics made stronger by his humility and witty sense of humor. His positive outlook on life is contagious.

Jacob’s time at Shriners Children’s shaped him into an individual capable of overcoming any challenge. Some of the most formidable moments of growth during his life have occurred inside the walls of Shriners Children’s Northern California.

“After a while, you start to feel like an experiment in hospitals and it’s depressing when you go because you’re always told what’s wrong with you,” said Jacob. “Shriners Children’s flipped that narrative and focused on possibilities – what I could do if I worked hard enough and who I could become.”

When Jacob was 8 years old, his mother brought him to Shriners Children’s Northern California. His family wanted the very best cerebral palsy care for him. Cerebral palsy refers to a group of disorders of the developing brain. Like Jacob, many patients with CP will have spasticity (tight muscles) that make walking and balance more difficult. Each patient with CP has a unique pattern of neurological involvement, some with barely noticeable differences and others with more significant disability. In Jacob’s case, his condition affects his lower limbs, balance and left hand. Previous doctors had predicted Jacob would lose his mobility at age 16. Jacob’s care team at Shriners Children’s took an individualized, multidisciplinary approach and developed a treatment plan specific to his needs, including rigorous physical therapy and rehabilitation.

“Every day was harder than the previous day. My mind and body were broken. Every fall on the mat, I was burned with pain and anger,” said Jacob. “But every time it happened, there were a pair of hands there to help me rise from the mat. Whether it was a Shriners Children’s therapist, doctor or my family, those hands were there for me.”

Jacob said encouragement from Shriners Children’s lead him to eventually find the true meaning of a fulfilling and grateful life, despite the challenges he faced during adolescence. During this period of discovery in his life, he moved to Long Beach, California, to pursue a master’s degree in kinesiology and learn to surf.

“Surfing turned out to be one of the greatest adventures of my life,” said Jacob. “It healed my soul. There are moments when I will hit the water feeling frustrated and angry, and the water will beat me down until I relax myself and am calm.”

Jacob went on to found his own organization, Prone To Ride, which is a speaking and content platform. The company’s mission is to empower people to discover and embrace their fullest potential. Jacob regularly shares his own journey of finding self-empowerment and navigating personal growth on Prone To Ride’s social platforms to encourage others to achieve greatness.

“With surfing, a wave is very similar to life,” said Jacob. “It’s going to keep coming at you and you have a choice. Either you go over it, under it, or you turn around and you catch that sucker!”