By TJ Hatchett

On February 17, I arrived at Jack Ferry’s (‘24) house and had no idea that in a few hours, I would feel the worst pain in my life.

The afternoon began with a campfire, which was a usual occurrence for a weekend hangout. I rolled into the driveway and could see Nikhil DePalma (‘24) building a bonfire with wooden pallets. I was towing his jon boat behind my truck, ready to be put in the water to fish the following morning. For some reason, DePalma always has an attraction to fires. The weather was brisk, and I was dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. 

Ferry had a small standing grill that we put charcoal in to prepare for food. With the grill ready, we put on the steaks, and they were cooked perfectly. Ferry and I were still hungry, so he went inside to get chicken breasts. I tried grilling them, but every time I removed them from the grill they were somehow still raw and frozen. I then realized that the pieces were too big, so I had to cut them into smaller portions. After about the fourth try of taking them on and off, the chicken was finally ready to be eaten. I cut mine into thinner strips and doused them in barbeque sauce. This was one of my first times grilling, and the chicken turned out to be better than expected.

The fire was becoming larger and larger, because DePalma decided to add a log every couple of minutes. Music was playing, as everyone was relaxed around the fire. Cooper Leipheimer (‘24), DePalma, and I brought a green kids Gator four-wheeler to the fire. We were jumping on the toy car, and some parts began to break off. That’s when Ferry became furious and told us to stop destroying his Gator. I decided to take another kick at the toy car, because I had thought it was funny that it was making him mad. Ferry then got up from his chair, and we were fake wrestling in the grass and gravel. As friends and wrestling teammates, this was not uncommon for us. 

My X-ray. Photo credit: TJ Hatchett.

DePalma then said, “I’ve got my money on TJ,” and everything started to go downhill. I then had Ferry on one leg, while the other was in the air, and I thought I almost got him to the ground. Ferry, not wanting to lose, got a streak of aggression and got his leg back on the ground. I then moved to the side, where my right foot fell into a small hole. I lost balance and fell as some of Ferry’s weight was still on me, but my foot was stuck. Braden Bell (‘24) claimed that there were “three loud pops” before I hit the ground. 

On the ground, the pain in my right foot and ankle immediately hit. This was the worst pain I had ever experienced, and it was unexpected. I had no movement in my right foot, and after laying on the ground for what felt like an hour, I tried getting up and standing on it. Striking paint shot through my right leg, so I was helped over to a chair by the fire. My body began to shake, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold temperature or my immobile ankle. 

My friends helped me inside where I was able to sit down and try to relax. My ankle was as swollen as a baseball, and the question rose of whether to go to the hospital or not. Sebastian Eberl (‘24) then commented, “It’s just a minor sprain, so we should just wait until tomorrow.” I had never had a serious injury before, so I decided to follow his suggestion.

For the rest of the night, I stayed on the couch. The pain was like a fire in my foot, and sleeping seemed impossible. At around 5:00 a.m., I fell asleep but woke up an hour later. The swelling had not gone down, so as a group, we decided to go to the Ortho On Call in Short Pump. 

Breaking the news to mom. Image credit: TJ Hatchett.

It was now Sunday, and I decided to finally break the news to my mom, Jennifer Hatchett. I told her something was wrong with my ankle and asked to meet at the doctor’s. I didn’t want her to panic on the way there, so I didn’t tell her I knew it wasn’t just a sprain. We arrived at OrthoVirginia and my mom was shocked to see me on crutches that Eberl had lent me. I then had an X-ray on my right ankle. The doctor came back and told us that I had fractured my fibula, broken my ankle in two different places, had an increase of space in between my bones, and had torn all the ligaments and tendons in my foot. The doctor then said, “I believe it’s dislocated, so we’ll have to make an injection and pull on it.” My mom, tearing up, became skeptical and decided to take me to the Bon Secours primary care facility across the street.

The doctors at Bon Secours reviewed the X-rays but said my ankle was not dislocated. I was relieved. They then set an appointment for me to have surgery, performed by foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Peter White. The surgery took place two weeks after the visit to the hospital, and an incision was made and metal was set inside my leg. The surgeons set a metal plate with screws on my right fibula, and on the opposite side a hook with rope to pull the space between the bones together. I then got a large cast up to my knee that I would have to wear for two months.

Scooting around. Photo credit: Jennifer Hatchett.

I was finally able to get back to school, but I had to use crutches everywhere. Ferry brought me to school almost every day until I could drive again. I eventually became exhausted from crutches and purchased a knee scooter. Riding the scooter at school made my broken bone experience more enjoyable, because I was able to make others laugh and fly through the hallways. Ferry also would take me to the gym, where I continued to work out the upper portion of my body. 

My cast came off at the end of April, and physical therapy at OrthoVirginia began. I was given many different exercises and activities to regain my ankle’s strength. I was thrilled at the progress I was making, as I regained the ability to walk again. I finished my physical therapy after four weeks and was able to walk normally and drive again. As of now, I am still not cleared to run or jump for three to four months, however.

I am still progressively gaining strength back in my ankle, but I wouldn’t have been able to get where I am without the help from my friends and family. I greatly appreciate how much Ferry helped me by driving me places, and there were no hard feelings from the accident. My friends and I still make jokes to this day about the broken ankle and fractured fibula.