A Linebacker’s Comeback

It was Jaime’s first fall football game of the season, and the eighth-grader was ready to take the field.

Having played football since he was 7 years old, Jaime had grown into his role as a linebacker, fully committed to the game he loved. The first quarter unfolded exactly as he hoped. Jaime flew to the ball, recorded three tackles and set the tone for the defense. But in the second quarter, everything changed in an instant.

Another player was tackled and fell directly onto Jaime’s leg. The impact was devastating. Jaime sustained a three-part fracture, with two breaks in his ankle and one in his leg, leaving him down on the field in severe pain.

“I felt like I was only standing on my ankle, not my foot,” Jaime said. “I knew something was wrong right away. I started shouting that I was hurt.”

From the sidelines, Jaime’s mom, Raquel, watched the situation quickly turn into a nightmare. Jaime remained on the field for nearly 45 minutes as first responders struggled to locate his middle school.

“It’s a new campus, and no ambulance had ever been there before,” Raquel said. “We were just waiting and waiting.”

Once the ambulance arrived, Jaime was transported to a nearby emergency center. Instead of relief, the family was met with confusion and frustration. Communication was limited, and Jaime was heavily medicated yet still in extreme pain. Despite the family’s concerns, staff attempted to realign the injury, which made the situation worse.

“At that point, I knew we needed to leave,” Raquel said.

After leaving the emergency center, a family friend helped Raquel get in touch with a physician who immediately recommended Cody Sanderson, M.D., a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Shriners Children’s Texas. Raquel was able to speak with Dr. Sanderson by phone that same night. By the next morning, Jaime was in his care.

From the moment Jaime arrived at Shriners Children’s Texas, the tone shifted. Dr. Sanderson met with Jaime and Raquel and explained what had happened to his leg and what to expect next. He explained the severity of the injury, outlined the risks and prepared the family for potential complications.

“He gave us real talk,” Raquel said. “He didn’t sugarcoat anything, and I appreciated that. I wanted to know exactly what we were dealing with.”

Because of swelling and the complexity of the fracture, Jaime’s surgery was scheduled for one week later. During the procedure, Dr. Sanderson was able to stabilize the injury using minimal hardware, placing one screw and two pins. The pins were later removed as Jaime healed, allowing for a smoother recovery.

Following surgery, Jaime began a structured rehabilitation process. He started in a wheelchair, then graduated to crutches as the swelling eased. A cast followed, replaced weeks later with a walking boot. Dr. Sanderson monitored Jaime’s progress through regular follow-up visits, and within a couple of months, Jaime was walking again. Each step forward came with patience, especially for the 13-year-old who was an active multi-sport athlete.

“There were moments where it was hard,” Jaime said. “I went from playing football every day to not being able to move much at all. But everyone kept telling me to take it one step at a time.”

Jaime found motivation around every corner of the hospital. His therapists, nurses and physicians supported him through each stage of recovery. Even brief interactions, including visits to radiology and time spent in the casting room, left a lasting impression. Jaime also found inspiration in fellow patients, some of whom were recovering from injuries far more complex than his own. Seeing their determination gave him a new perspective.

“We have yet to meet one person at Shriners who wasn’t kind,” Raquel said. “It was a very humbling experience for all of us. We would go in for appointments and see kids walking out smiling, some of them running around with prosthetics on their legs. Little kids. Jaime would see them and say to me, ‘I’ve got nothing to complain about.’”

Today, Jaime has recently started jogging again and continues physical therapy focused on ankle mobility. He is preparing to start high school next year and plans to return to playing football, baseball and basketball. This month, Jaime and Raquel will attend the East-West Shrine Bowl, an experience they are both looking forward to.

“I just don’t think I could ever fully describe how positive our experience has been,” Raquel said. “We’ve been to other hospitals before, but from the moment we came to Shriners Children’s Texas and met Dr. Sanderson and his team, everything felt different. From the beginning until now, I’ve never experienced care as good as this.”