Jayson Thompson

My son, Jayson, fell three stories to the bottom of an elevator shaft when he was 13. Considered lucky to have survived, he sustained broken ribs, a collapsed lung; his worst injuries were fractured calcaneus (heel) in both feet. A nationally ranked fencer, Jayson was heartbroken that this accident occurred three days before US summer nationals. Instead, he faced the prospect of multiple surgeries to repair and rebuild his heels, and the possibility of never fencing again. Dr. David Levine was recommended to me as "the expert" on this uncommon surgery. Even though he was on vacation when I called his office, he agreed to do the surgery the day he returned and the second surgery a few days after that. That summer, Dr. Levine and his staff cared for Jayson, who defied the odds, stood and walked in seven weeks. Six weeks later, Jayson took his first fencing lesson; a month after that he competed in a local tournament,and two months later he was back on the national circuit. Today - three years later - Jayson has recovered completely. As a high school sophomore, he fenced at Junior Olympics and was MVP for his school team this past season, qualifying his squad and himself for state championships. We will always be grateful to Dr. Levine, his staff and HSS for his skill, his devotion and his care for our son. We will never forget him.