Jay loves wakeboarding—in fact, he’s a wakeboarding national champion! But when he fractured his right femur in June 2020 during a wakeboarding accident, he was brought emergently to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida to see Dr. Zachary Stinson, who specializes in pediatric orthopedic trauma and sports medicine surgery. Jay had his femur surgically repaired with a metal rod, and he began the gradual journey to walking, running, and wakeboarding again.
Following his surgery, Jay was determined every single day in therapy, and he was cleared to start running just months following surgery, and eventually to full wakeboarding activities by six months! Jay had the metal rod removed 18 months following his initial surgery, and he was completely cleared by Dr. Stinson a few weeks later.
Jay’s mom Ashley credits Nemours doctors, physical therapists, and nurses for being comforting not only to their patients, but also patient families. “The nurses and doctors explained treatments to Jay and me,” she said. “They would also spend extra time answering questions…the staff is so kind and patient with answering questions.”
Jay is back to playing, running, and most importantly, wakeboarding. Since surgery, he has participated in several local competitions in Auburndale and Orlando. In August 2022, Jay won the World Wake Association (WWA) Wake Park Nationals in the Beginner Traditional Division, and placed fourth in the age-9-and-under group.
Since winning, he has progressed immensely in wakeboarding. “His confidence is built back up,” said Ashley. “He is well on his way learning and mastering new tricks with coaching from fellow riders and the mom of two pros out of Orlando.”
His next goal is to compete at the WWA Worlds in London in 2023. Go, Jay!
