Patient Testimonials

Imagine being sledded down a mountain “blue” ski run headfirst by ski patrol, while being wrapped up like a mummy, with a newly splinted leg! That was the beginning of my comeback story. The ambulance ride to Vail Hospital was brief and the emergency room staff quickly diagnosed the seriousness of my injury—a complete quadriceps tendon tear!

My choice was to either have immediate reconstructive surgery there or back in Minnesota. After conferring with my home doctor, the logical decision was to fly home and have the surgery and subsequent aftercare along with physical therapy, all at Twin Cities Orthopedics. I left Vail immediately, with a splinted leg and crutches, and was back in Minneapolis the next morning, en route to the Blaine TCO Urgent Care Center that also has surgical and physical therapy teams. Once there, I was examined and the Vail diagnosis was confirmed. My surgery was scheduled and following my pre-op physical, I arrived back at the Blaine TCO for surgery that was performed by Dr. Jason Barry with Rebecca Munson, PA-C, assisting.

The procedure involved the reattachment of the quadriceps tendon to the patella, along with 30 staples to close the wound site. I was released that day wearing a new, adjustable leg splint that could be dialed by degree to restrict knee flexing along with cautionary instructions not to re-injure the tendon and to follow a specific knee/quadriceps rehab protocol in physical therapy.

Snow and ice made navigating on crutches very difficult. With the leg splint set to no knee flexing for the next two weeks, my quality of life quickly deteriorated. One does not realize how difficult living can be without mobility until it happens. I somehow managed through the holidays.

At two weeks, I had a post surgery visit with Rebecca and had the staples removed. The battlefield surgery site was healing well and Rebecca gave me encouragement that indeed I was progressing. I received physical therapy orders consisting of twice weekly PT, working towards 60 degree of knee flex by the end of the next 30 days.

Previous to the accident, my wife and I had booked the month of January in Florida and now, I would begin my PT there away from snow and ice. Finding PT in Florida during the winter months proved to be difficult due to an abundance of seniors and golfers needing PT. Those first 30 days were challenging and I slowly made incremental progress towards my flex and strength goals.

I returned to TCO for my six-week post surgery checkup by Rebecca. The visible surgery site was now healed and I received new, twice weekly, physical therapy orders to rebuild my quadriceps strength, increase knee flexibility to 120 degrees, and improve my mobility with the goal of weaning myself off crutches by the end of the next 60 days.

I was fortunate to be assigned a highly trained and professional TCO physical therapy team primarily consisting of Ashley Rundle, DPT, and on occasion Maribeth Honomichl, ATC, PTA. The Blaine physical therapy center also contained state-of-the-art equipment that, along with instruction by the PT team, made a tremendous difference in the tempo of my recovery. For example, Ashley utilized their BFR (Blood Flow Restriction) machine on me that speeds up the strengthening of muscle mass by restricting blood flow to the affected area. Muscle mass strengthens more quickly in an anaerobic state. The PT team also gave me exercise routines to perform at home and as my progress improved, exercises were added to build my recovery step-by-step. I definitely could see I was making progress and this added to my confidence in regaining more mobility. Going down stairs by single stepping the treads was a concern of mine and we worked through that. Another concern was getting up off the floor without something to pull myself up with. Here again, the PT team worked with me to show me how I could accomplish this. Sounds simple, but again losing mobility and strength as I did, I had to regain my confidence and ability to do these tasks. The PT team made the therapy sessions fun that also encouraged me to do my PT homework. I always ended my PT sessions with their ice compression machine that reduced swelling and made my leg feel good.

I made my final post surgery visit with Rebecca after 3 months post surgery and she gave me the “return to normal activities” order. I felt like a marathoner running through the tape—I made it! While I know I still need to continue my strengthening, I have her confidence in my progress and the backup–if I need more care, don’t hesitate to call.

In summary, TCO provided compassionate care in all aspects (surgery and aftercare, physical therapy and training) that made my comeback story a success. All of their staff, including those not specifically named in this story (nurses, anesthesiologist, receptionists and others behind the scenes) played a vital role in my comeback and I am truly grateful. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend TCO to my family and friends! Thank you!

Hello! My name is Ann and I’ve been a nurse for 40 years now, started when I was 6! I manage the MN Veterans Home Adult Day Center, where a group of “angels” care for our nations Veterans who mostly suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. We call it, “the Vet’s Club”. I got up at 4am on the morning of December 7th, 2018 (D-Day) – should have known, and was so excited because we were having a holiday party for our Veterans and their families, and all the staff dress up silly. Well, coffee cup in hand and still half asleep, I tripped over a boot in the hallway at home, and went airborne landing on my left shoulder. All I saw were stars and felt pain like I’ve never felt before, made labor pains feel like a walk in the park. I crawled to my phone, called for help, and ended up at Fairview Ridges ER. Long story short, shattered neck of my humerus (not humorous to me!) and was sent to Burnsville TCO to see Dr. Lewis, who felt I had fallen the correct way and could possibly heal without surgery – I fell the right way! Yaay! Was he kidding? I could hardly move and about wanted to die from the pain. It’s funny how you take simple, everyday things for granted, like fixing your hair or brushing your teeth, until you can’t do them by yourself and have to rely on others – nurse’s are not good at asking for help! I, of course went back to work after 9 days, way before Doc Lewis said I could (don’t tell him!). Nurse’s make really bad patients! When Doc Lewis gave the okay, I was put into the wonderful hands of a physical therapist, Alex Niznik, who made me feel I could get my life back – no whining allowed! I worked with Alex every week and was doing so well, I graduated early! It’s been almost five months now, and nothing can stop this old nurse, daughter of a Marine – pain is just weakness leaving the body! I told that to Alex all the time. I really learned from Alex that if you think you can, and stay positive, you can do it! Alex – you ROCK! All my thanks, always, Ann.

Being active and inspiring others to be active is my life! Before my injury, I was very active in cross-fit type competitions, running, lifting, paddle boarding, kickboxing, yoga, etc. If there was a way to challenge and move my body, I was all about giving it a try. I am an elite-level group fitness instructor and kickboxing coach at Lifetime Fitness. I have an active husband and 4 very active children! When we are not in a hockey rink, at a soccer field, football field or gymnastics gym, you can find us hiking, biking, paddle boarding, swimming and visiting obstacle and trampoline parks.

We, as a family, decided to skip trick or treating this Halloween and do something active! We went to a local trampoline to jump and play on the ninja warrior course. And that is where my life as I knew it came to a screeching halt! My kids and I were trying to make it up the warped wall, but I had a very hard fall that dislocated and broke my left ankle and (what I believed to have) jammed my right thumb. I was taken by ambulance to the local ER where they stabilized my ankle and told me to contact an orthopedic surgeon. Sheer panic set in. My whole personal and professional life revolves around me being active and inspiring others and now I was immobile!

I was extremely lucky to have Dr. Coetzee with TCO repair my ankle. The surgery was very successful! But I knew the road ahead of me was going to be a long, uphill climb! The weeks after my surgery I had a lot of bad days! A lot of my bad days were more mentally bad then physically painful. My entire way of life was completely flipped. Instead of me helping, inspiring and motivating others, I was stuck relying on others to help me with basic tasks. I felt like I missed out on a lot, especially during the holiday seasons. I was stuck on sideline watching everyone else play and enjoy life. When things were looking up, at my six week post-op appointment, my surgeon took a look at what we believed to be my jammed thumb and brought in a hand specialist. An MRI the following day confirmed my jammed thumb was actually 2 torn ligaments that required surgical repair! I couldn’t believe it! I was starting physical therapy and now headed back to the operating room. Once again, I knew I was in good hands having Dr. Koch with TCO repair my thumb. Another very successful surgery but this made my recovery more challenging! Regardless, I was bound and determined to get back to where I was before my crazy crash. I needed to prove to myself, my kids, my husband, my coworkers and my group fitness members, that even when we experience set backs – even a horrific injury – you can come back!!

I was extremely motivated and anxious to start and crush my physical therapy, and shortly thereafter, my occupational therapy! My mindset going into therapy was that this is my job for the next 16 weeks. I needed to dedicate 100% of myself during my therapy sessions, make a point to never miss a session and to do my daily exercises at home. My physical therapist, Meredith Butulis, was so amazing and motivating. She was very clear with my plan for therapy and she knew and understood my goals. I felt at every session we made progress so it made going to therapy very exciting! Meredith described my plan as a freight train, we are always pushing and driving forward but in a controlled pace. She was very clear that I could not push my ankle too much or it could reverse my progress. Slow and steady really does win the race! I also had to spend time in occupational therapy for my thumb. I was going to physical therapy for ankle twice a week and occupational therapy once a week. It consumed my life but again, I made it my job to get back!

After 15 long weeks, I graduated from therapy!! I was beyond excited to see how far I had come!! Now another battle was about to begin! I needed to get back to teaching group fitness! As a group fitness instructor, I perform most of the class with my members. Doing every movement with them! I took it slow. I started out by walking on the treadmill and using other cardio machines. I was lifting weights to strengthen my body. And of course still performing all my physical therapy stretches and exercises! And just like physical therapy, I felt that every time I stepped into the gym I was making progress. I had a goal of April 1st to teach my fist class!

April 1st came very fast but I was ready! It was the most amazing feeling to step into the group fitness studio and have the members welcome me back! They seemed equally excited to have me back! Most of them were shocked that I had come back so fast! I did have to modify some movements and do more coaching but I felt complete again teaching, motivating and inspiring others again! Since then, I have added several more classes to my schedule and am now full time again after 5 months of medical leave! I am teaching new formats and piloting a brand new group fitness format for Lifetime! I have also decided to become a certified personal trainer through Lifetime Academy so I can further help and motivate other people to achieve their goals! One of my biggest accomplishments was running with my children in their school family fun run! It felt great to run side by side with them and they all said “Mommy you are running again!”

This could have been a devastating injury but with hard work, determination and an amazing team at TCO, I have been able to comeback!! I have a very positive outlook on my future. I don’t think my ankle or thumb will hold me back from anything I want to accomplish!! I am so thankful for my amazing team at TCO for giving the opportunity to be active again and live my life fully!

I won a trip for two to southeast Asia at my company’s holiday party. Finally experiencing Thailand, my bucket list destination for years. My childhood friend was my companion, planning most of the trip for us as I dealt with my husband’s unpredictably extraordinary health challenge, tying two jobs together to make our mortgage payment, and playing both Mom and Dad as our oldest navigated the college application process and scholarships to cover AP test scores. Stress mounted.

Meeting Lori in Seattle for a free-spirited adventure; after a 30-minute monologue, skimming the surface of all drama and challenge at home, we agreed to be present on our adventure of a lifetime and leave home at home.

On our last day, after riding the scooter caboose in Vietnam, touring temples in Siem Reap, and wandering the flower markets in Bangkok, I left for a two-day hike compressed into one day with a monk tour guide and a tourist from London sporting six-pack abs. Long before seeing the first hike highlight, I was amazed. The beauty of all the greens, the sound of the waterfalls, and the simple and yet so complex insight from our guide blew me away. Eventually, we stopped for lunch. Our pad thai to-go, wrapped in banana leaves, was set upon a place mat cut from the banana tree where the fresh bananas fell and a watermelon, pulled from our guide’s backpack, was cut. Waterfalls were the backdrop. Unbelievable.

Leaving there, the hike continued to amaze – we stopped to smell fresh tamarind and wild ginger and then we rounded a curve, 3 hours in to an 8 hour hike, where the path meandered into a vine covered jungle like I imagined in National Geographic.

Remembering Lori, who chose to stay back to meet a monk, while I was in the jungle on my own private tour, I felt compelled to video my path into this overgrown amazement. 11 seconds of video, included my fall, which is the beginning of my continuing Comeback Story.

My guide scurried into the jungle, returning with a bamboo stick for a crutch, and then encouraged me to a river of ice cold water to soak my ankle for 30 minutes before returning to the trail.

Had I had fewer than three years of daily meditation under my belt, I wonder how I would have gotten out of the jungle. Each step, following the loud pop and searing heat and pain, I summoned my inner mojo to figure out how to quickly get off my right foot and back to my left. No even footing at all as we continued to climb to the village which was the destination. We clearly weren’t calling in an airlift; oh wait, no cell service and no roads and no people.

We reached the village. Unbelievable and amazing. Completely worth it. Our descent to our transportation was unbelievable as the decline left little room for error and our guide managed his pace with the sun, hoping, I believe, we would get to the road in time. I went step by step, my chatter and enthusiasm ended.

Quick summary:
Fell on November 7 in a jungle in Thailand
Hiked with a bamboo stick for 4 hours to get to transportation

Put foot on tray table in airplane from Chiang Mai to Taipei
Limped to eat dumplings in Taipei
Foot back on tray table from Taipei to Seattle
Wheelchair to curb where my brother met me with crutches
Overnight in Seattle
Crutches to Minneapolis
My children pick me up in Minneapolis and bring me to ER on November 11
ER says x-ray inconclusive and I am given a gel cast (I declined “the boot” for fear of my back going out)
ER recommends if I am not better, see an orthopedic
December 22 (yes gel brace and limping for 7 weeks), my amazing boss wonders how she can help me
“I want to go dog sledding but I want to know if I’ll mess up my ankle more”
“You can get an MRI as a walk-in”
Oh boy. Lucky me an ankle surgeon was in the TCO Urgent Care and ordered an MRI on Christmas Eve.
December 26, Dr. Brad Moser asked, “Doesn’t it hurt? You need surgery and Dr. Coetzee has taken your case.”

January 9 I meet, and fall in love, with Dr. Coetzee. He watches my video of my fall in the jungle in Thailand, offers me an option, approves me getting a pedicure (7 weeks of jungle in my toes), and instills confidence and kindness that still brings tears to my eyes.
January 11 surgery. Leave with an amazing cast!

11 days later, the cast comes off and I have an unbelievable nerve response.
Recovery. Is. Slow. And. It. Keeps. Snowing. And. It’s. Really. Cold. Schools. Keep. Closing. Longest. Winter. Ever.
Eventually. PT at Eden Prairie TCO – Meredith and Jake are amazing!

April 11, I was able to venture on a work trip to Dallas without my knee scooter or boot and even took a spin two-stepping.

April 27, I walked 5 miles (not all at once), and I am on my Comeback!

I spotted the advertisement for the Comeback deadline and had high hopes I would be doing something amazing by May 3 – almost 6 months after my fall – but it’s amazing that I find it amazing that I can stand on one leg and walk up and down the stairs.

It’s a journey.

Thank you TCO!

I’m a soccer player and I first tore my ACL in August 2016. I had surgery and two weeks later had a second surgery due to a rare situation where the endpoint of my graft moved. I spent 6 months in PT with Deb Kostecki and Kelly Soukup. I returned to playing soccer in June 2017 and couldn’t be happier. I finished my club season by winning the Midwest regional championship and earning a trip to the national championships with my team. My high school season started again in August 2017 and my club season began in late October. I tore my ACL for a second time on Superbowl Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. I also tore both of my meniscus at the same time. I had a 5 hour surgery on 2/21/18 where my ACL was reconstructed from my quad tendon, both meniscus were repaired and a cadaver tendon was placed along the side of my knee, like an internal splint. I started back in PT again a few days later with Kelly and Deb. I had so much scar tissue built up from my prior two surgeries that the nerves in my leg were affected and I couldn’t get my knee straight and had continual pain in my foot. My focus in PT was range of motion in my knee and recovery from the surgery. I struggled with both. In July 2018, I had the 4th surgery on my knee in 22 months. This time it was a soft tissue release and scar tissue was removed as well as the nerve in my leg being released from the scar tissue and internal stitches it had gotten stuck on. Immediately after the surgery, the pain in my foot was gone and my range of motion was improved. I’ve continued with PT since that point to work on range of motion and now strength. Since August 2017, I’ve had 4 surgeries on my left knee and been in PT for almost 2 years – 15 straight months with the last injury. While I’ve had to give up my dream of playing college and club soccer, my goal is to play one last season of high school soccer. My comeback story isn’t complete. I continue with PT once a week. I’m also participating in ACE Plus with Maggie Dewitz and training at Training HAUS to build strength in my leg. People think I’m crazy for wanting to play soccer again, but the entire team at TCO, my PT’s , Dr. Neil Johnson and the Training HAUS crew, including Kirk Olson and Scott Schriever, are helping me work for one last season of high school soccer so I can leave the game on my terms this time.

Our TCO comeback story is a family affair. TCO’s expert surgeons and caring and knowledgeable physical therapists helped three members of our active family through a difficult 2018-2019 orthopedic year.

In May 2018, after many injuries and pain from decades of activities: football, baseball, basketball, running, floor ball and mountain biking, Dr. Chris Coetzee surgically reconstructed dad, Paul’s ankle (age 58).

Also, in May 2018, daughter, Emma, age 24, tore her ACL playing for her club ultimate Frisbee team. Dr. Christie Heikes surgically repaired Emma’s left knee in June 2018. In January 2019, Emma hit a speed bump in her recovery when she returned to Dr. Heikes for a cyclops lesion in the same knee.

Not to be outdone, mom, Beth, age 56, had her ski and hockey season cut short with shoulder surgery at the end of February 2019 with Dr. Adam Bakker. (Dr. Andrea Saterbak also got Beth back into skiing and hockey after her third ACL surgery in 2016; Son, Joe, had hand surgery with a TCO doctor too.)

These injuries were challenging for our active family of four. Our quality time is centered around sports. Every day after supper, when the kids were younger, we would go in the backyard to play games. Most often we played 2v2 soccer or wiffle ball. When the kids grew older, most evenings were spent at an organized soccer, baseball, softball, floor ball, hockey, or downhill skiing event. We attend each other’s events and encourage each other to reach our athletic goals. Therefore, we were eager to start our comeback journey.

Our family’s comeback journey led us to TCO’s physical therapy group. There, Brooke Deshler’s positive and motivational spirit inspired Paul to work through a long period of significant pain and instability to where Paul recently walked nine miles on a beach in Florida and biked over two hours on a warm Minnesota spring day.

Physical therapist, Mike Slavics, has encouraged both Beth and Emma with his fully engaged spirit.

Beth is back to a normal schedule of biking, working and everyday tasks. Nicole Tezuka’s upbeat personality also encouraged Beth to improve her range of motion and shoulder strength and even shared an excellent protein power ball recipe!

Emma’s significant knee injury at times isolated her and took her away from her day to day social network of her team sports and friend’s activities. Mike Slavic understood that physical activity was a big part of Emma’s well-being and identity. Mike inspires mental toughness and encourages Emma to persevere, often reminding her she is still an athlete. Mike passionately and safely motivated Emma to greatly improve her strength and balance so that Emma is now ready for TCO’s ACE (return to sports) program. Soon, Emma will be able to return to club ultimate frisbee and rejoin her mother’s hockey team.

Our family is still on our comeback journey. We often do our physical therapy together or go on walks to stay active. We are gearing up for family hikes this summer.
We owe our Comeback Journey to TCO’s Drs. Coetzee, Saterbak, Heikes, Bakker and physical therapists Brooke Deshler, Mike Slavic’s and Nicole Tezuka.

Being 45, I have had my share of surgeries. I was born with left hip dysplasia in 1973. When I was a little over a year old, I had surgery to fix the ball and socket. I was very active growing up, lettering in 3 sports and played fastpitch softball during the summer for many years. Orthopedically I was doing great until 2010 when I tore my labrum in my left hip. Dr. Neil Johnson sent me to a specialist at the U of M. After repairing my labrum and replacing the hip a year later, I thought I was doing good. I was an avid golfer and was playing great.

In October of 2014, I was rear ended by a distracted driver, causing the herniation of vertebrae in my neck. Dr. Deal repaired my neck in April of 2015 and I was back on the golf course in August that summer. Not too long after this surgery, I started having right hip issues and Dr. Chris Larson found that I had a torn labrum. He highly recommended I go to see PT Meredith Butulis. She would help me get better without surgery! After my previous experience with my left hip, I was not sold. However, I began working with Meredith and found her to be amazing. She was a great listener and was always so positive and encouraging. After working with her, I have been able to push surgery off and still have not had to do anything about it.

In 2017, while golfing, I stepped in a hole in front of green, and stretched/tore ligaments in left ankle. After visiting with two TCO doctors, therapy was ordered and I immediately went to Meredith. After little improvements in my ankle, she sent me to see Dr. Chris Coetzee. He surgically repaired the ligament. He was also fantastic. When PT was ordered, I said I wanted to work with Meredith. Dr. Coetzee looked at me and said, “Fantastic. She is the best PT in the Twin Cities.” I told him I agreed.

Meredith has helped me in so many ways get back to participating in sports again at a high level. I have a fantastic relationship with her which gives me comfort when I have a question after treatment has been completed. I know I can email her and she gets back to me in a very reasonable time frame.

My story at TCO is extensive over the past 7-8 years. Every doctor, therapist and nurse have been wonderful to work with. I always felt like I was at the center of their attention when I was in one of the offices. I highly recommend to anyone who has an orthopedic issue or concern, to go to TCO.

Oh, where to begin? I have received wonderful care from various providers at Twin Cities Orthopedics but the one who stands out the most is Dr. Allan Hunt. He has been my surgeon/doctor for the past 16 years. Playing sports always came natural for me, especially softball. However, playing ball ended up taking a toll on my body even up to my 40’s. But to find out playing ball actually saved my life down the road. I’ve had over 25 orthopedic surgeries from shoulders and hips to ankles and knees. Of course over the years, when you have all these surgeries, your body and your mental state sometimes and you become depressed, which I ended up being. I, of course, started to pack on the weight and started to get depressed. Many personal things had happened in my life after losing both my parents, a divorce, and I was later diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder (diagnosed at 41). Even in my appointments with Dr. Hunt, my weight was never brought up even though I knew I needed to take charge of my life. Pushing close to 310, I knew I needed to take charge, so I started to work out and watch what I was eating. I was already having my 3rd knee surgery and of course it was progressively getting worse. As the weight was coming off, the knee just didn’t want to budge. After losing 170 pounds and 160 inches, even after all that I did my knee just gave out on me. I remember calling Kendra and telling her, “It’s time to schedule surgery for my TKA”, and she said “Okay, let’s schedule that appointment with Dr. Hunt.”

I saw him in July of 2018, the plan was to wait until I was 50, I was 45. I remember, he came in after looking at the X-rays and he looked at me and I looked at him and we both knew it was time. I scheduled my surgery for December. I wanted to get strong for this surgery, so I became diligent with the exercises and was working out more and getting my muscles strong. December 17th came and I was ready for this bionic knee. Surgery was done and Dr. Hunt said everything was great. I was working with the physical therapist at Aurora and I was doing such a great job that I graduated to using a cane when I went home the next day. When I started physical therapy at TCO, my physical therapist, was a little confused when he saw me he was like where is your walker and I told him, I graduated to a cane and I was told I didn’t need a walker. He smiled. Then we did my Hx & Px and then we went over to the bike and gave me a little pep talk and told me don’t get discouraged if you can’t do a full rotation on the bike. I get on the bike and I started to peddle away on the bike. He asked me when I had surgery and I told him Monday and it was Wednesday. He told me that he has been a physical therapist for almost 10 years and he has never had a patient be able to do a full rotation on the bike, where it can sometimes take 2 weeks to a month for some patients. Man that felt good to hear this. I had been working so hard to accomplish to get strong and get my quads even stronger. I had a total of 15 PT sessions, and was discharged before having my second post-op appointment with Dr. Hunt. In all of my surgeries, this has never happened. My ROM was near perfect, I got it to 141/0. I kept working at it and never gave up. I still workout and I still do my exercises, and I have to be that example for others especially dealing with having Ehlers Danlos. I may have a mild condition, but I don’t let it define me, I keep a positive attitude. In all these years, Dr. Hunt has played a huge impact, he has always been a huge advocate for me, he has been my support system, an encourager, and most importantly, a friend, and I am forever grateful for him.

April 20th, 2018, coming down a roof access ladder, my foot slipped; I fall 18-20 feet onto a hard-concrete floor, barely missing a scissor lift. I completely crush my tibia bone above my ankle. It is believed my right leg is now about two inches shorter than the left from the impact. I am told I have a pilon fracture in my right leg, broken tibia in the right leg and crushed heel on the left. I also have torn up most of the cartilage; in other words, my legs are a mess!

Because we are now many, many miles from home at the time of the accident, we start the calls to find a doctor closer to home. Luckily, my mom has a friend that has been seeing an orthopedic doctor at Twin Cities Orthopedics. We are referred to Dr. Bryan Den Hartog. Even while he is on vacation with his family, he reviews pictures of my scans and is willing and able to take my case! I have one more surgery in St. Cloud (where the accident happened) to put a plate and screws on my fibula and start learning how to transfer from location to location using a board and without using my legs. I need to learn how to use a wheelchair, how to get in and out of a car, how to put on my clothes and do the simplest of tasks we all take for granted every day.

Over the next couple of weeks, I have surgery to start “fixing” me up! Surgery #3, I have my fixator removed and more plates and screws put in. Bone fragments and pieces of cartilage are removed. Bone grafts are done. I have screws put into my left heel to fuse it together. I spend another four days in the hospital, I can leave for home to start the new way of doing things while I heal.

During this healing process, I was completely wheel chair bound. Many modifications needed to be made at home so I could get around and attempt to do things on my own. Unfortunately, my incision is not healing properly and I have surgery #4 to pull my skin together on my shin so it can heal; I am also back in a cast.

July 23rd, 2019 is the first time since the accident, I can start to put any weight on my legs. Being able to stand upright for the first time in three months was the best! I still cannot walk, but I can now use my left leg to help me get around a little easier in the wheelchair.

July 30th, I start physical therapy and can stand up for short periods of time! I even take a couple steps this day, but I am still in the wheelchair, as I cannot put my whole body weight on my feet quite yet.

August 17th, I start walking down the hallway at physical therapy – things are starting to move better. At the end of August, I have small set back as a screw has started to work its way out; surgery #5 is scheduled. Luckily, this only delays physical therapy for about a week and I am back at it.

Beginning of September, I am walking around in physical therapy quite a bit. By the end of September, five long months later, I no longer need the wheelchair to get around and have graduated to using the walker! Being able to walk out of the physical therapy door was the best. From that point on, I work to get stronger and work on my walking. It is still somewhat painful, and I am limping, but no more wheelchair. Within a month or so, I am no longer using the walker either. Freedom at last!

In February 2019, the hardware in my leg is starting to bother me so I have another surgery #6 to remove the plate on my fibula and screws in my left heel. We venture to Eagan during a blizzard, but we get there and have my surgery. Recovery from this surgery was a slow and painful process and I am back to using the walker or crutches to help keep me stable as I walk for a couple of weeks. At my follow-up appointment though, things look great so I do not need to come back until May; longest in between appointments since my accident.

Things will never be the same for me, but from where I started April 20th, 2018 to today, is huge. We knew the outcome was ok/good for me to walk again, but you will never know for sure until you get there. I will need additional surgeries on my right leg that could be as extensive as a complete ankle replacement, but from having completely shattered bones and not being able to walk to where I am today, I will take it. I am so grateful for Dr. Den Hartog and Lindsey Ortlip for all they have done and will continue to do for me. Because of the two of them, I am walking today, even if it is with a limp. The hundreds of miles and hours in the car driving to the cities for appointments and surgeries have all been worth it. Thank you to Dr. Den Hartog, Lindsey and the numerous other TCO staff for helping me and my family through this. But, most importantly, THANK YOU for allowing me the chance to walk once again. I have a step daughter and a daughter on the way in June. Because of you, I will be able to WALK them down the aisle some day.

Although my comeback story is not complete, I would not be as far as I am today without my surgeon, Dr. David Anderson, and especially my physical therapist and “best friend”, Luke Cash. I am in the 9th inning of my recovery and am confident that I will end the game stronger than when I started.

My setback began the Sunday evening of August 5th, 2018, the night before club softball tryouts. My friends and I decided to play a game of 3 on 3 basketball in the Eagan league. While playing, I went up for a lay-up and came down and heard a “POP”. I fell down in pain, not knowing the journey I would endure. Later, I found out that I tore my ACL in my right knee. Devastating for a very athletic 13 year old girl, my journey ahead was going to last for 6 to 9 months or longer, and I was not sure if I could do it.

The day I heard I had torn my ACL was the toughest day of my life. However, within an hour of the news, all of my best friends hopped on their bikes and were at my house to just sit with me, watch movies and to just be there, as they knew how hard this was for me. I knew I needed surgery and I was scared, disappointed and sad. The next 10 days were filled with love and support from my family and friends and a lot of doctors appointments in between. The night before surgery I was very nervous and scared, not sure of what lay ahead of me.

On the day of surgery, I woke up early and got ready to head to TCO in Eagan, the day of the Vikings Training Camp scrimmage vs the Jaguars. Once there, I was brought into a room and they prepared me for surgery. I was comforted by the wonderful nurse who took such good care of me, reminding me that everything was going to be alright. Dr. Anderson came in and explained what was going to happen during surgery and then the next thing I remember was the nurse giving me water and my parents and big brother coming into see me.

Two days later I started my long comeback when I started physical therapy. When I met my physical therapist, Luke Cash, he introduced himself as my new “best friend”. I thought that was a little weird, but little did I know that he was right. He has become one of my best friends, big brother, biggest supporter, as well as my worst critic, but in a good way.

At first, physical therapy was boring, as all I was able to do was try to lift my leg and work on my range of motion. But as the weeks passed, I was able to do more and more. The day I was finally able to ditch my immobilizer was a great day, but the day I was able to walk out of TCO Eagan on my own without the crutches was spectacular. I even asked my mom if we could run them over with our truck, as I was so excited to be done with them and I never want to see them again!

As the months passed and many more therapy sessions under my belt, I slowly continued to improve and was able to start doing more and more. The day Luke tossed me a basketball and I was able to start to dribble and the day I went over to the Training HAUS and was able to start shooting, made my slow comeback start to feel a lot more bearable. I was finally starting to do a few small sports and activities, making me feel more like myself. Shortly after I got a basketball back in my hand I got the best news so far – Dr. Anderson told me that I could finally start to swing a bat. I was so excited to tell all my closest friends that I could finally start to slowly participate in the sport I love.

My comeback hit a slow setback when I had my first TRAC testing at 6 months post-surgery. I knew going into the testing that my quads were not equal in strength but finding out they were only about 51% to the other left me angry and discouraged. After having a long heart to heart with Luke regarding how far I had come and getting our game plan of how we were going to build strength in my right quad, I was ready for the next 3 months and more and more determined to work hard and lean into my weakness and be as prepared as I could for the next TRAC testing.

I have been so lucky to have the best physical therapist, Luke, who not only has been there to help me heal physically, but has been there to help me heal mentally. He has helped me every step of the way, encouraging me, pushing me by helping me set goals and helping me not get discouraged when things didn’t go as I had hoped. Luke is such a good motivator, he knows just what to say at the right time to make me feel better and more willing to keep pushing harder and harder every day. Because of Luke and my great experience at TCO Eagan, I now want to be a physical therapist, so that I can help young athletes that were in the same situation as I, like Luke helped me, and aid them in creating their own comeback story.

This setback really allowed me to show my determination and courage while at physical therapy and at home. I made sure to do whatever they said. That meant that I did my exercises as many times as I could and then did five more. It was and still is tough to stay determined and have the courage to stick with it even if times get tough. The first couple weeks after surgery were the most difficult, because I could not move and had crutches. Once I started physical therapy, that gave me a goal to work towards, but it was very slow and I was not seeing the progress I expected to see. Before, everything always came easy to me whether it was basketball, softball or school. This was much harder and I was not sure I could do it. It was here that I needed to dig even deeper and work even harder, even when I was not seeing progress. The support of family and friends made all the difference for me to keep pushing and encouraging me. Now, at my 8-month point, I am 85% healed and seeing great progress with my PT and back playing limited sports; I can see the end of the road towards full recovery and now it makes me want to work even harder to get back to playing with my teams again!

During this journey, I learned that you have to be determined to be able to achieve your goals. Also you have to have a lot of courage because it’s not easy for an athletic 13 year old to stop playing sports. I believe that when people break barriers they use determination and courage. Even though my journey is not over, I will continue to have courage and to be determined and will continue to dream of big goals for myself. This injury was really crushing, but I am beginning to see that it may have given me the best gift of perseverance and knowing what I really want and how to work hard for it every day.

Below are comments from Paige’s MN Sting Softball Club Coaches:
(From Head Coach Steve Snedeker)
I think one of the amazing aspects of Paige’s recovery back for her club fastpitch team was her attitude. Right from the beginning she was like “no problem”. I will be back soon. Being 13 years old, a six month recovery normally would seem like a very long time, but not to Paige. Paige made almost every practice and games and even traveled with us in the Fall 2018 to Arizona. She kept the scorebook for the team, played some catch with upper body throws and called pitches from the dugout. She was team manager and very much bonded with her team. I know she will be in the starting lineup coming this June, when are season starts. It was quite amazing that she could heal like this in these few months, as in previous years and experiences with other athletes it took a year or more. We were very impressed with her attitude and great work ethic.

(From Asst Coach Bob McGarry)
I met Paige for the first time the weekend before softball tryouts. I had seen her play and knew what a great player she was but was struck that day by her maturity, intelligence and inquisitiveness. The meeting included 4 of her teammates and all of their parents. However, Paige had some of the best questions and it was clear she knew what she was looking for in a program. The morning of tryouts, I got a call from her father Jake letting me know that she had been injured the night before in basketball game and was uncertain if she would be able to fully participate in tryouts. He said they might be a little late as they were going to get it checked out at TCO Eagan as a precaution. Well, as we all know now, it was much more serious than had been previously hoped. However, we didn’t think twice about offering Paige a position on the team because of the positive attitude she displayed when she showed up on crutches very shortly after her diagnosis and her determination to get back on the field for the Summer 2019 season. Her positive attitude has been a constant throughout the Fall 2018 season and the Winter workouts. She has been at every event that didn’t conflict with a TCO doctor’s appointment and not once has she complained about her predicament or been anything but an exemplary teammate. During the early weeks there wasn’t much that she could do so she helped her teammates learn their defensive responsibilities and even called pitches during games, as she is a catcher. As she was cleared to more activities, she would catch infield for the coaches or sit on a bucket and load the tees for teammates to warm up hitting. There were times where we couldn’t work her into the plans, but she would show up and leave with the same smile on her face regardless.

It wasn’t until the latter part of our winter training where Paige was finally able to participate in some of the workout activities. Sometimes she could participate in a team drill but most times Paige had to work alone or just with a coach but she approached every scenario with the same determination to improve herself and beat this injury. In late April, I had the pleasure to see the beginning of the fruits of all of her hard work last week when she crushed a 3-run home run over the varsity field fence in a school ball game. As I watched her slowly jog around the bases, I could see her face light up and feel that all the pain and hard work she has been through is leading to her even larger comeback in softball and in her life. There is no doubt in my mind that Paige will come out of this a stronger player and person and I am so glad that she chose our team and allowed us to be her coach. I can’t wait to see her play softball this summer!

Below are comments from Paige’s Rosemount Varsity Basketball Coach, Chris Orr:
Paige is mature beyond her years. For any 8th grader, having to endure a serious injury can be very difficult. It was heart breaking to hear that Paige had torn her ACL. I had just met with her to talk about goals for the upcoming season (Basketball) and the next thing I heard from her is that she tore her ACL. As a coach, I ask all my players to create their own legacy and write their own story during their time in our High School program. For Paige, the story hasn’t started out as planned, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a powerful beginning to her story. Even though she was only an 8thgrader, Paige is one of the most competitive and hardworking girls we have in our program. These characteristics did not leave Paige this year, even though she was unable to participate on the court. Her competitiveness and work ethic showed in her rehab. She has been determined ever since it happened to get back on the court/field as soon as possible and stronger than ever.

Paige is also very committed. It would’ve been easy for Paige to step away from basketball this season as she knew there was no way possible that she was going to play. That’s not Paige though. She approached me asking if she could be one of our manager’s so she could use this season as a learning period and still help the team and our program out. As her rehab progressed, Paige not only continued her managerial duties, but she also began to participate on the court. By the end of the season she was able to join the team in some non-contact shooting and ball handling drills. She sent a powerful message to all of those in our program, Paige is committed, Paige is competitive, Paige is hard working and Paige will be back!