Jen Braswell, 20, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in a game against Trinity College in Hartford, CT during the fall of 2006. As Jen was up by the net and jumping for the ball, her body curved on her way down to avoid the net and she landed on her right leg. Her knee gave out and almost instantaneously she was in excruciating pain.
New Jersey ice dancer Chris Reed hasn’t let a torn meniscus derail his dreams of reaching the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. He is part of an ice performance team dedicated to sharing their passion and commitment with audiences all over the world. Still in high school, he spends numerous hours daily practicing to master many complex routines.
Connecticut recreational soccer player Jaime Cardinale juggles a more than full schedule between full-time studies at Norwalk Community College (Norwalk, CT) and two part-time jobs. In between, her passion for playing women’s soccer nearly came to an abrupt end. During a drive for the goal in late April, 2007, she planted her left leg and moments later collapsed to the field in excruciating pain. By evening, following a regimen of icing, her knee swelled the size of a small watermelon. An MRI eventually revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), bruised meniscus, and partially torn medial collateral ligament.