Jennifer Gifford's Story

I've been skiing since I was a kid; in high school my team won States, and right now I’m racing at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. It was just like any other day when I fell on the slopes, but I knew right away I really hurt myself this time. It turned out I tore my ACL and medial meniscus.

I was in so much pain, and at the same time very afraid of how this injury might affect my racing. Unfortunately, the first doctor I went to was really rough. I was scared I might not be able to ski like I did before I fell, and I was really hurting. He didn’t seem to care, and I didn’t like the treatment I was receiving. I was really unhappy and frustrated, and then a friend of mine told me to go see Dr. Nancy Cummings at Franklin Orthopedics.

What a difference. Dr. Cummings was so nice and understanding about the pain I was going through. She knew how important it was to me to be on the slopes as soon as possible so I could get back to racing for the Trinity Ski Team. She told my mom and me what to expect for the ACL replacement surgery, and then went above and beyond to get me in with physical therapists in Hartford so I wouldn’t have to miss a lot of classes. She did such a great job that I was able to ski without a brace the next ski season. I don’t have any pain, so I don’t even think about the knee while I’m skiing, and that gave me back the confidence to keep racing.

I would definitely recommend both Dr. Cummings and Franklin Orthopedics to anyone else needing surgeries like mine. It is really comforting to know that I can get such amazing care from an outstanding surgeon like Dr. Cummings so close to home.