Noah Wasiura - Tommy John Surgery

As a freshman in high school my journey to having Tommy John Surgery began. I always struggled academically due to my dyslexia. I relied on sports to help alleviate my struggles in school. Sports, mainly baseball, had been my constant and got me through my tough days.

The position I was playing was catcher, but I was also having much success when I was on the pitching mound. I had just made the Varsity Highschool baseball team, was playing travel baseball, and attending showcase events. I felt like I was on top of my baseball game. At my last showcase event, I reached 88mph on the pitching mound. However, after the event, I began feeling pain in my throwing arm. After a few short weeks of not seeing significant improvement after taking time off from throwing to let my arm heal, and seeing a local orthopedic specialist, we requested imaging. The imaging showed a few wispy fibers holding my ligament together. The local ortho told me that I needed to find a different sport to play or have Tommy John surgery. I was crushed and felt like my career was on the line, if not over. My family and I got a second opinion, but the answer was the same. I did not feel confident and was very emotional. It was not until we met Dr. Ahmad that I knew I would play ball again. It was an absolute game changer for me. Since we did not live locally, we had met Dr. Ahmad virtually through telemedicine and immediately I was put at ease and had confidence that I would again play the sport that I love. Dr. Ahmad and his team also connected me with another kid that had Tommy John Surgery and it really helped to have someone who had been through the surgery, and to see how well he was doing.

We traveled down to NYC for my surgery by car and the night before surgery my parents and I went to see a NY Yankees game. Attending the game helped relieve my fears and anxiety, watching not only the team I LOVE but the game I LOVE. While there, one of the Yankees players saw me in the stands and threw a ball to me. At that moment I knew GOD had placed me in NYC and with Dr. Ahmad for a reason.

The next morning, I brought the game ball with me to surgery, to remind me that even though the journey would be long, I was in the best hands and would recover for the game that I loved so much. I remember shaking with fear when we arrived, just fear of the unknown. Then Dr Ahmad came in to see me and saw the ball and asked if I had caught it at the game and if so, if I wanted to see if he could get it signed. This moment was a turning point for me, and I knew I could do this. Dr. Ahmad got the ball signed for me by the player and shipped it directly to my home. This played a major role in my recovery and my confidence.

Here I am today, a year out from my Tommy John surgery, feeling stronger than ever with completing my catching program and beginning my pitching conditioning program.

My dream is to one day be playing at Yankee Stadium!