Knee Surgeries get Telford’s Jayden Bergey Back on the Gridiron
Since age 6, Jayden Bergey’s life has centered around family, friends and football. “I like hitting people,” Jayden says with a chuckle. “Plus, my best friends play football. There’s nothing better than being on the field with them.”
By the time he turned 15, Jayden had earned a starting role as an offensive guard and defensive linebacker as a sophomore for the Souderton Area High School (SAHS) varsity football team. But an unexpected twist would keep him on the sidelines for his junior year.
One bad turn
Jayden was playing club rugby in April 2023 when the unthinkable happened. “I was running a play when I cut to my right, then I fell to the ground,” he says. “That’s when I heard the ‘snap and pop’ people talk about.”
Jayden tried to tough it out, but his right knee began to swell. He sought emergency care at another hospital, but caregivers there couldn’t make a diagnosis. So, Jayden and his family scheduled an appointment with sports medicine physician Ilana Zeises, DO, with Upper Bucks Orthopaedics at Grand View Health.
Dr. Zeises ordered an MRI and discovered that Jayden had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and his lateral (outer) meniscus, serious knee injuries that require surgical repair. Dr. Zeises referred Jayden to her colleague, orthopaedic surgeon Peter Wang Jr., MD with Upper Bucks Orthopaedics.
Successful surgery – and a setback
In early June 2023, Dr. Wang operated on Jayden at the Grand View Surgery Center at Harleysville, repairing his meniscus tear and using tendons from his hamstrings to rebuild his ACL. Jayden then spent six weeks on crutches and another six months in physical therapy.
By November 2023, Jayden’s knee felt strong. As he watched the SAHS team prep for a late-season playoff game, he volunteered to catch punted balls. “I was running under the ball—and I caught it,” Jayden says. But he also caught his right foot onto the turf and fell. “I could see something was wrong right away.”
Jayden had suffered a torn medial (inner) meniscus, along with a repeat tear of his ACL—an injury that’s more common than most people think. “Literature shows that there’s up to a 23% chance of the ACL graft tearing again after primary reconstruction,” Dr. Wang says. Jayden would need a second surgery. “We knew he wanted to play football as a senior, so we moved as fast as we could to get him into surgery,” says Jayden’s mom, Jessica.
Dr. Wang performed Jayden’s reconstruction surgery on December 6, less than three weeks after his injury. This time, Dr. Wang used tissue from Jayden’s patella tendon to rebuild his ACL, in addition to repairing his medial meniscus. After the procedure, Jayden spent another six weeks on crutches and started the physical therapy process anew.
Staying positive
Although his knee injuries kept him sidelined for his entire junior year, Jayden remained involved with the football team. “I attended every [weight-room] lift, practice and game,” he says. “It kept me positive, and I think it helped my teammates stay positive, too.”
Jayden also relied on his family. “My mom kept me focused, telling me to take it day by day,” Jayden says. Gabby Termini, an athletic trainer at SAHS and part of the Upper Bucks Orthopaedics
team, offered additional support. “She is so uplifting and positive,” Jayden says. “She answered all my questions, and if she didn’t know the answer, she texted Dr. Wang right away.”
The injury compelled Jayden to explore some new hobbies including photography and fishing. “I learned that you don’t have to be set on just one path,” he says.
Return to the gridiron
Today, Jayden is back in the weight room three days a week, practicing with his teammates, and back on the football field. Dr. Wang is confident Jayden will contribute to the team. “He’s in no pain now, his knee is stable and he has excellent range of motion,” Dr. Wang says.
As for goals for his senior season, Jayden says, “I want to win, of course. But just as important, I want to have a good time with my friends and make lots of memories.”
Learn more about orthopaedic care at Grand View Health. Visit GVH.org/ortho.