“Truth has pretty much grown up on the soccer field,” says her mother, Agatha. Truth watched her father coach soccer, and both of her older sisters play, so she developed an undeniable love of the game early. She also developed an amazing talent. Truth has played for Solar Soccer Club in Dallas since she was 5 years old. She has participated in training camps with the USA National team, and when she was in seventh grade, she committed to play collegiate soccer for Southern Methodist University (SMU).

In January, Truth was playing in a scrimmage. Positioned to score, her leg collided with a defender attempting to block her shot. Truth felt a “pop”, fell to the ground, and had to be carried off the field. Fortunately, Truth’s mother knew exactly where to take her daughter for treatment. 

Her mother was a pediatric nurse at Scottish Rite for Children for five years before going to graduate school to become a family nurse practitioner. As part of her clinical training, Agatha worked with Assistant Chief of Staff and pediatric orthopedic surgeon Philip L. Wilson, M.D., and certified nurse practitioner Chuck Wyatt, M.S., CPNP, RNFA. Since Agatha experienced the expertise and caring clinical approach of Scottish Rite during her time there as a nurse practitioner student, she immediately called Wyatt at the Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center after Truth’s injury.

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After a physical examination, X-rays and confirmation with an MRI, Wyatt explained to Truth and her parents that she had torn the lateral meniscus and damaged her articular cartilage in her knee. One week later, Wilson performed surgery to repair the meniscus and address the bone and cartilage defect in the joint. This type of meniscal repair and joint surface treatment required Truth to wear a special brace and use crutches for two months.

Wyatt says, “Rehabilitation is an extremely important component of an athlete’s course of recovery and safe return to sports.” Unfortunately, not long after Truth’s surgery, the coronavirus pandemic forced facilities to stop seeing patients in person. Wyatt and the Sports Medicine team were able to continue Truth’s care and monitor her range of motion and recovery virtually with telemedicine visits.

When it was safe, she transitioned from her home exercise program to in-person physical therapy. Truth was motivated and engaged when her physical therapy began because she knew her physical therapists wanted to get her back on the field as much as she did.

Today, Truth is back on the soccer field with the Solar Soccer Club, playing the game she has loved since she was little. She has been training hard since she was cleared three months ago to achieve her goal of getting back into “soccer shape.” “Scottish Rite for Children works effectively and purposefully to heal our young, growing athletes,” says Agatha. “We are all delighted that Truth had a healthy, speedy recovery full of people in her corner who cared about her and helped make this challenging process a very pleasant experience.”

Wilson says, “Truth’s injury would have made some kids second guess their future in sports, but her drive and commitment to her sport and her physical therapy program are second to none. Our team is inspired and motivated by athletes like her, and we can’t wait to see her succeed at SMU and beyond.”

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