Kristin (Kristy) Lee

She knew that if she kept her mind strong, then her body would follow.

From the moment Kristy enters a room, you can feel a surge of energy: her enthusiasm is contagious, and her determination is something to be admired. Nonetheless, Kristy’s character was tested when her athletic career came to a screeching halt.

In 2012, Kristy was playing on the varsity soccer team (as a freshman), and within the first 10 minutes of the game, she fell to the ground in excruciating pain. “I heard that signature pop,” she explained. “I felt like my life came to an end … I went down, and I knew.”

Kristy chose Dr. FitzGibbons to be her surgeon, “everyone knows if it deals with your knees, you have to go to Dr. FitzGibbons,” she said. “When he told me it was my ACL, I was in tears.”

The preparation for surgery proved to be scarier than the surgery itself, “I was terrified [for surgery], but afterward, it was like I was out for only three minutes,” she said.

Kristy recalls the day after surgery as the worst day of the whole experience, “I felt like I was paralyzed. I felt awful,” she explained. “Dr. FitzGibbons called my house that night to make sure I was doing okay. He told me to lift my leg, but I didn’t want to move. Then he told me that if I didn’t lift my leg, he would come over,” she laughed. “I lifted my leg.”

The reason Dr. FitzGibbons wanted her to lift her leg was so she could engage her quad muscle, “After surgery, your body tells you that if you lift your leg, it is going to hurt, but our goal is to re-engage the quad muscle and avoid as much atrophy as possible,” Dr. FitzGibbons said.

Kristy really liked working with Dr. FitzGibbons. “He motivates you,” she said.

During Kristy’s recovery, she held on to the idea that she could be stronger and faster than before. She knew that if she kept her mind strong, then her body would follow.

Today Kristy is back on the soccer field. In her first game back, the team won 5-0.

“Kristy is a great young woman. With her determined attitude, I anticipate a full recovery,” Dr. FitzGibbons said.

OCR is here to support you on the road to recovery. From our outpatient surgery and recovery center to our physical therapy department and imaging, our entire team will care for you from head to toe to help you become the champion of your lifestyle.