Daler Freshman Takes Back The Turf
(Photo courtesy of Danielle Graham)
It was a regular hot, summer Thursday in late August when Spencer Graham went to junior varsity football practice. All was well until Graham hit the ground and heard a cacophony of voices yelling “no,” as he tried to get back up. Graham had fractured his left femur.
X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, two femur reductions and a transfer from Nassau University Medical Center to Stony Brook ensued, where Graham underwent open reduction internal fixation surgery on his femur just two days later. The Farmingdale High School freshman was unable to bear weight on his legs for three nervous weeks while he waited for the pathology reports; to break his femur at such a young age left doctors wanting to make sure that Graham had no underlying serious conditions.
“That was a tough time, I could do nothing on my own,” said Graham, who was grateful to find out that nothing was seriously wrong, and the break was simply an unfortunate accident.
In mid-September, Graham underwent yet another surgery to remove the internal fixation from his femur and place a rod through the bone. What was supposed to be just an overnight procedure turned into a four-night stay due to pain and anemia. The aspiring football player was, needless to say, forced to sit out for the season and received homeschooling for about a month, leaving him unable to start high school with his friends. But the silver lining was waiting just a few months later.
“I initially wrote to JJ Watt to get an autographed picture for Spencer from his favorite athlete,” said Graham’s mother, Danielle. She told her son’s story to the JJ Watt Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that provides athletic opportunities for children who have faced adversity or attend schools with little to no after-school athletic programs, and rather than simply send him an autograph, Graham was invited to enter a contest.
“JJ Watt of the Houston Texans is my favorite athlete,” Graham said. “Once a year, he has a charity classic softball game where he awards kids [that] him and his organization feel are living up to his motto of “Dream Big, Work Hard.” I was among the top 15 nominated for the award.”
With his father, Graham traveled to Houston, TX, on May 3, where they stayed for three days and attended the charity classic. Graham received a T-shirt, saw Watt in person and practiced holding the ceremonial flag that is brought out before the game starts.
“I just felt that Spencer’s quiet strength and perseverance during his entire ordeal was truly admirable and I was so proud of him,” Danielle said of why she wrote in to the foundation. “This entire experience has certainly taught us all how strong we can be as individuals, as well as a family unit.”
Now, after having gone to physical therapy three times a week until February, Graham is back to normal. In fact, the 15 year old could be found this spring out on the field playing lacrosse—an endeavor he did not hesitate to take on.
“I wasn’t really scared that I was going to get hurt again,” said Graham of getting back into sports. “But I was nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to keep up. The first day of practice was tough, my leg hurt. After a few days, my confidence and endurance improved.”
While his own recovery and growth helped him return to his former athleticism, it was the encouragement from his coaches, teammates, friends, family, doctors and the Farmingdale community as a whole that proved instrumental in gaining him the reassurance he needed to give it his all on the field again. Graham already has his sights on the football team come fall.
“Eternally grateful doesn’t begin to describe how I feel,” Danielle said. “I am so thankful that Spencer is fine. It could have been a lot worse and I am cautiously optimistic whenever he walks on any field to play, but I know he is doing what he worked so hard to get back to.”
