From Setback to Triumph

Just two weeks before the end-of-season competitions, elite swimmer Victoria Weldon faced an unexpected challenge — she broke a bone in her foot. Overcome with emotion, she feared her journey to the state championship had come to an end.

“Once I heard it was broken and that I needed surgery, I thought my senior year was ruined,” Victoria said. She also feared her absence would derail her team’s state championship hopes.

Then she met Jason Piraino, MD, foot and ankle surgeon at UF Health Jacksonville, who serves as chief of the UF Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery. Against what Victoria and her parents thought were impossible odds, Piraino managed to get Victoria back in the pool in less than one week after surgery.

She did the rest. Rolling up to the diving board on a knee scooter, diving off with one foot, and using one foot for wall turns, Victoria won the 100m butterfly at the district level and went on to win accolades at the regional meet and the state championship.

“I wanted to give her the opportunity to compete, and honestly I wasn’t sure how she would perform,” Piraino said. “I knew she was very competitive and talented, but I wasn’t sure what her pain level would be. Turns out she won her first race.”

The accident

It all began after a Tuesday swim practice, according to Mariam Weldon, Victoria’s mother. Her daughter swims with Bishop Kenny High School during swim season and year-round with a private club team.

As she was making dinner, Mariam heard a piercing scream. Victoria had put on a pair of platform slippers and slipped, rolling her foot. Her mother was convinced it was just a sprain until the next day when her daughter was in excruciating pain and couldn’t walk on the swollen foot.

After a trip to urgent care where they learned a bone was broken, Victoria was able to meet with Piraino. It was then she learned she would need surgery before swimming again or risk further damage to her foot.

“Victoria had broken a small bone on the outside of her foot at the bottom of the small toe,” Piraino said. Describing it as an avulsion fracture, Piraino explained that the tendon pulls so hard it breaks the bone.

The surgery

Though her parents thought surgery meant she would not swim, they also realized Victoria would heal and go on to swim in other competitions. It was disappointing, but not serious.

Yet, the surgeon had a different outlook from the first moment, according to Mariam. “From the start, the whole team focused on what they could do,” she said. “They never said, ‘Sorry, your broke your foot and you can’t swim, and we have lots of other cases to handle.’ ”

Piraino was optimistic because he had already helped several athletes achieve a faster recovery. “We had done a minimally invasive procedure on a similar fracture of a young skateboarder and had great success,” Piraino said. “So, I was pretty confident that I could get her where she needed to be. And Victoria’s sport wouldn’t require her to walk on the foot to compete.”

With a surgical cancellation the following day, Piraino operated on Victoria’s foot using a procedure that he said had been pioneered with several professional athletes. Piraino secured the tendon and placed two small screws to repair the fracture. When he talked with Mariam afterward, he said all went well, and that she was clear to swim.

The teen’s mom was not only shocked to hear her daughter could swim but also that the doctor had taken the time to talk with her. “The level of attention he gave us is something you see only in movies at the ER, not in real life,” Mariam said. “I tremendously appreciated that, and it was above and beyond for him. Especially for a situation that isn’t life threatening.”

The happy ending

The normal time for a full weight-bearing recovery from the surgery would be four to six weeks. So, Piraino told Victoria she should use a knee scooter to avoid putting weight on the foot. To keep the wound dry, they used a waterproof film that was also wrapped in waterproof bandages.

Six days later, she rolled into the district meet. Her teammates, coaches, and the other swimmers were stunned to watch Victoria scooter to the boards and proceed to win her race. She also swam the 100m breaststroke. She and her mother texted Piraino a picture of her on the scooter holding a plaque.

She swam in the regional meet the next week and the state championship the next, winning the high-point award for the highest scoring female on her team throughout the season and post season. “My team, because of the points that we earned, ended up winning all of the districts for the girl’s teams, so we had a trophy too, and we were runner-up at regionals,” Victoria said.

If the teen learned any lesson from the fluke accident, she said it would be perseverance. “My parents said if the doctor believes in you, we believe in you,” Victoria said. “So I wanted to work hard to make the best possible situation out of this.” Now, with a healed and strong foot, her next focus is finding a college where she can continue her swimming.

For Mariam, finding the right surgeon made all the difference. “His whole team went above and beyond every step of the way, providing personal care to Victoria and the entire family,” Mariam said. “It turned out to be a great ending, so we’re very thankful for Dr. Piraino.”