Jason David was born to persevere. His mom remembers his “get tough” attitude after scraped knees and broken bones in the past. But it wasn’t until July 12, 2007 when the perseverance of this pitcher for Neuqua Valley High School was really put to the test. That’s the day he and three teammates drove to a summer baseball game and their SUV was hit on the passenger side. The car flipped three times and while his three buddies emerged from the car in fairly good condition, David, who had been sitting in the back passenger seat, had been thrown from the car and lay on the ground unable to move.
After the ambulance got him to the hospital, the news wasn’t good. He had a broken back, broken neck and broken collarbone. Dr. Steven Louis, Hinsdale Orthopaedics trauma surgeon, was called in to repair the collar bone, which was broken in four places.
“I knew it was going to be a tough surgery, because it was hard to work around his other broken bones,” says Dr. Louis. I remained positive about the outcome, and knew I had to secure the clavicle so he had a shot at pitching again.”
Dr. Louis used a plate and screws to hold the collar bone in place.
“He was an amazing physician,” admits David. “He put me at ease with his relaxed disposition and calm nature. But most important, the plate worked perfectly. I didn’t even know it was there.”
The following spring, Jason persevered once again. With a standing ovation from the crowd and tears from his family, Jason took his place on the mound to pitch the opening day game for Neuqua Valley.
“Dr. Louis made a huge difference in my life,” he admits. “The whole experience gave me a good perspective on how to turn around a bad situation — and the importance of fighting for what you want.”
