Wrist Operation Jaelan Phillips

Jaelan Phillips is a sophomore outside linebacker for the UCLA Bruins football team. He injured his wrist in the off-season. He recently put up an Instagram post about his injury, his surgeon, and his recovery.

Here is what Jaelan said on Instagram. To link directly to his Instagram click here.

I never officially addressed this, but I’m feeling some type of way, so now feels like the right time. When I got hit by a car on January 22nd, I had no idea that the next 8 months of my life would be the hardest time of my life so far. After 2 surgeries, 4 months in a cast, and a Proximal Row Carpectomy (the removal of 3 bones in my wrist) at 18 years old, I was told that I would be out for 8-12 months and that I might not play this season.

As you could imagine, hearing this news was heartbreaking. I spent months asking why me, what did I do to deserve this but thanks to an amazing support group and mentors, I realized that what happened to me was a blessing in disguise…an opportunity to overcome adversity. So instead of feeling sorry for myself, I worked my ass off to get healthy as soon as I could.

Thanks to an amazing surgeon (Dr. Nicholas Rose, shown right), months of grueling Physical Therapy, and steadfast determination, I was able to cut my recovery time from 8-12 months to 4 months allowing me to play this season. I wanted to post this as encouragement to my fellow athletes to:

1. Not take anything for granted, because ANYTHING can happen, and
2. Don’t be discouraged by adversity, embrace it and use it as motivation to do things that nobody thought you could do.

Again, thank you to my family, my loved ones, the Kramer family, and Dr. Rose for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself, and helping me overcome this adversity. God is good! Be thankful for every blessing in your life, and last but not least, Go Bruins