Florida Hospital Best in Care: Women and Children - Fall 2012 - (Page 4)

Turning Professional water ski jumper recovers by leaps and bounds after traumatic injury. the Tide At 34, Danish-born June Fladborg has amassed five No. 1 world rankings in water ski jumping. She has skied for 23 years, 12 of them professionally. But in October 2010, it almost came to a sudden end. June was competing in the Rocketman Tournament in Polk J. Dean Cole, MD, County and attempting a new Orthopaedic world-record jump. She already Surgery held the world record with a jump of 57.1 meters, according to the World Tournament Council, part of the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation in Switzerland. “It was the jump of my life, but I wasn’t ready to control it,” she recalls. June cruised 175 feet through the air and lost control of her skis. She landed sideways on the water and her feet took the brunt of the force. operating room, Dr. Cole used 3-D technology to place screws in June’s heel to stabilize the bone fragments. Soft tissue damage caused additional complications, and tissue around June’s heel started dying due to a lack of oxygen. At Florida Hospital Orlando, Dr. Cole began June on hyperbaric chamber treatments to force oxygen into the tissue so her foot could heal properly. She also began a regimen of daily physical therapy, lymphedema treatments and foot soaks to remove skin that was impeding recovery — all under Dr. Cole’s close supervision. ANOTHER STRUGGLE TO OVERCOME While hospitalized, June’s skiing coach, Ray Stokes, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma and given a short time to live. Three-and-a-half months after her surgery and the day after she found out about her coach, June flew to Australia to be by his side. From another continent, June and Dr. Cole kept in touch through weekly Skype chats (video conversations using the Internet) to go over her progress and share photos of her healing foot. “I was so amazed that he took time every week to talk to me online,” says June. “He was often wearing surgical scrubs and I knew he’d come to speak with me right after leaving the operating room.” June returned to Australia four times during her coach’s treatment. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his disease and passed away last December. Saddened by her loss, she knew she had to continue fighting to make a full recovery without him. TESTING THE WATERS By April 2011, June was back on the water practicing her cuts (prepping for the ramp) and jumping, when she noticed the range of motion in her right foot was limited. In May, she returned to Dr. Cole who suggested surgery to lengthen the Achilles tendon and repair damage he saw as being a result of the tightness. Two weeks after surgery, June was o crutches and has been working toward making a full recovery. During her time on dry land, June started “Girls That Fly,” a professional organization for female ski jumpers, and is busy organizing tournaments around the world. This has helped keep her focused more on her recovery as she works toward competing again. “Dr. Cole and his team have given me a chance to return to my career,” she explains. “Jumping is my life and my livelihood. Had I returned to Denmark for treatment, I wouldn’t have received the amazing care from Florida Hospital, Dr. Cole and his team.” RUSHED TO FLORIDA HOSPITAL June was taken to the Florida Hospital Fracture Care Center in Orlando to meet with J. Dean Cole, MD, the program’s medical director. There he explained she had broken both feet, with her right foot sustaining far more damage. Both the calcaneus and talus bones were shattered, and ligaments were no longer attached. “The pressure generated by the injury caused her right foot and leg to swell all the way to her hip joint and delayed surgery for two weeks,” explains Dr. Cole. To help alleviate the swelling, June wore a boot on her right foot that pushed blood away from the injury for 12 hours before Dr. Cole could perform the surgery. “Typical surgery to repair a broken heel would require a large incision, but because the swelling was so severe, that wasn’t an option,” says Dr. Cole. With the assistance of an intraoperative portable CT scan in the HEALTHY 00tips One popular form of recreation is outdoor activities, such as hiking, rock climbing or team sports. With outdoor activities, you benefit from sunshine, fresh air and exercise. GET ENERGIZED! 4 For questions or to RSVP to events, call (407) 303-BEST (2378).

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Florida Hospital Best in Care: Women and Children - Fall 2012

Florida Hospital Best in Care: Women and Children - Fall 2012
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Cochlear implant helps little girl hear mom’s voice again
Record-holding water ski jumper cuts a path to recovery
Small Wonders

Florida Hospital Best in Care: Women and Children - Fall 2012

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