INJURY UPDATE: Jake's Knee

12 weeks.  It has been 12 LONG weeks since that crazy afternoon in Wichita, Kansas when Jake had a basketball collision that resulted in a growth plate injury.  12 long, hard weeks.  And I figured it was time for an update.  Walk, Jog, Run!

Since the last post about the injury, Jake started 6th grade - middle school.  He had to learn to navigate the busy halls on crutches, and use thee elevator to go between floors.  He even went to his first middle school dance - on crutches.

First Middle School Dance

He also went to numerous high school football games, his first live theatrical performance of any kind to see "Wicked," and various other activities all made more difficult by his reliance on crutches.

The week after Labor Day, we had a followup appointment with his orthopedic surgeon in Oklahoma City..  We received the BEST news, and Jake was so thrilled!  We were released to weight bearing with 4 weeks of PT on September 10.  He was so incredibly happy to be rid of the crutches!  Walk.

Of course, there was still lots of work to be done!  He spent the next 4 weeks going to physical therapy BEFORE SCHOOL 2-3 days a week to get stronger.  He also had home exercises that he did everyday.  After 2 weeks, he was able to ditch the elevator key and use the stairs like his friends.  Which was cool at first, but then he missed the elevator! LOL!  At the end of the 4 weeks of therapy, we were back at the orthopedic doctor in the City - hopeful for more good news.  GREAT NEWS!  The doctor released him to go back to basketball practice!  Easy at first, but he could get and get back in the swing of things.  Jog.



FLIPPIN' EXCITED video

We’re FLIPPING OUT because this big guy is FINALLY RELEASED TO FULL ACTIVITY! 

Since then, he has eased back in to AET training (we're going once a week - hoping to get to 2x a week this month),  and weekly team practices.  The first day, he was 10 weeks post injury.  Jake's Coach told him to take it easy a couple times, but he refused. He hadn’t run a step in 10 weeks. At practice, he worked every step everyone else did. He did everything his teammates did. He might have been slow, he might have been out of breath, he might of been last. But he never quit. Since that first practice back, we've had to slow him down a bit, but he is working SO HARD to get back in shape and back in game form fir the first week of December when the team travels to Texas for a tournament.  He's doing GREAT and loving being back in the gym.

Lucky Number 13

AET Eltie 2025

This guy has big plans!  Already met his future coach:

#c2e

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