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| #60 is in blue on the far right side |
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| Jacob, #60 far right in blue |
Jacob loves football. He's tough, a great athlete, and we found he's a quick healer and very patient. Last year he was ready to play his first year of tackle football. He trained hard during a month long training camp. By the time the season was starting, our family moved and Jacob had to wait another year to play. This year would be different. We were all moved in, signed up, and ready to go. During the practices before the season began, Jacob landed on his hand and we thought his finger was sprained. He insisted it didn't hurt and we put it in a finger splint and waited for the swelling to go down. Well, it's a good thing I'm not a Dr. because when we got an xray 9 days later, he suffered a broken bone and it was misaligned and would not heal properly without surgery.
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| Jacob #60 in the middle of the mix (blue jersey) |
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| #60 Sargent right in the middle |
During his surgery, a 2" pin was placed inside his finger to help hold the bone together while it healed. There was a nice cast in a "crossing guard orange" helped to further protect it. A few weeks of recovery and the pin was removed, the cast was cut off, and we were off to physical therapy. Each week, Jacob continued to go to football practice and took on the "water boy" task with a smile. The Doctors always remarked at how quickly Jacob healed and that he must have had a high tolerance to pain because he was off any meds one day after the surgery.
At the end of the football season, his Doctor and physical therapist were still encouraging him to sit out the remainder of the games. But, Scott and I thought that he had recovered well enough to play. The last two games, he was able to participate and one play got a tackle as he tried for yardage with a quarterback sneak pass.
I learned a lesson from this wonderful young man. Sometimes goals have obstacles that come in unexpected ways. Sometimes you have to keep patiently trying and keep a positive attitude when you'd rather be playing than passing out water. Sometimes...after all the waiting, you are able to participate in the game and it makes all the waiting and pain worth it. And your mom and dad cheer you on from the sidelines with unmistakable proud smiles. Happy birthday Jacob. We love you, we are proud of who you are and the gifts you have been blessed with. You are an amazing teenager. (note to self: teen boys don't like shirts and sweaters for their birthday presents. If you do this you will be met with the same expression they give you when they open a Christmas present of socks or underwear.)
