The night that Kade Barley crushed his right hand under his friend’s Chevy Suburban, it was hard to imagine he could return to athletics for his senior season in Mount Pleasant.
“Everybody was freaking out,” the East Texas teen recounts the night of his injury, when he tried to change a tire beside a road in Dallas. “I was the only one who was calm.”
The 17-year-old has put that night behind him and returned to playing tennis and basketball at Chapel Hill High School, thanks to the orthopedic team at Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
“They were awesome,” Kade says. “They really treated me like they were part of my family.”
X-rays show Kade’s hand after the injury and after surgery, when a titanium screw was inserted.
COMPOUND FRACTURE
The trajectory of Kade’s summer changed the night of May 13, after he watched the Dallas Mavericks compete in the playoffs with his brother and four friends.
A tire on their SUV blew out on the way home, so Kade and his friends pulled over to change it. As Kade worked, a freak accident dropped the vehicle onto his right hand, smashing his ring finger and causing a compound fracture.
“I was in shock,” says Kade, whose injury turned out to be worse than paramedics initially thought. “They told me I can just drive to the hospital.”
Fortunately, after changing the tire, someone else drove to Methodist Dallas, where Kade was treated by BJ Lee, MD, orthopedic hand surgeon on the medical staff.
“Not only was the bone broken, but he also had a partial tendon tear, and the wound was contaminated,” Dr. Lee says. “So you have to worry about the bone healing properly and preventing infection, as well.”
Kade (right) and Rhett compete on their high school tennis team in Mount Pleasant.
SUPPORTING BROTHER
Dr. Lee used a titanium screw to repair Kade’s finger, also cleaning the bone and wound as part of the procedure.
After surgery, Methodist Dallas President John Phillips, FACHE, dropped by Kade’s room to check on him and raise his spirits about missing the state tournament.
“He told Kade he was excited to hear his comeback story,” says his mother, Kathleen Barley. “I think that gave Kade hope and motivation to keep working.”
Discharged the next morning, Kade knew he couldn’t play tennis in-state but wanted to drive to San Antonio to watch his twin brother compete with his doubles replacement.
“That’s the best way to describe his heart,” Kathleen says. “Even though he was in so much pain to make the trip, he didn’t want his brother to not have his support.”
Kade didn’t make that trip but ended up watching his brother, Rhett, compete via FaceTime.
Kade, with his parents Kathleen and Michael, also plays on the Chapel Hill basketball team.
GETTING BACK TO NORMAL
For the next three weeks, Kade wore a splint on his right hand before changing into a different brace that held two fingers straight.
“There were just a lot of things you don’t realize you need to do,” Kade says, talking about how difficult it was to sleep and have his parents drive him everywhere.
Physical therapy consisted of exercising with resistance bands, squeezing a ball of putty, and even dipping his hand in hot wax to ease the pain. He ultimately strengthened his fingers and regained mobility.
“You need to have the joints moving and your tendons gliding to optimize function in the hand,” Dr. Lee says. “The trauma of the injury as well as the surgery can lead to scar tissue and stiffness without the appropriate postoperative care.”
Seeing Kade return to the basketball court was both thrilling and scary for his mother.
SENIOR YEAR COMEBACK
Returning to sports wasn’t an easy road for Kade, and it was just as tough to watch for his parents, Kathleen and Michael.
His mother found herself in a state of shock when her son dove onto the basketball court for a loose ball during his first game after the injury.
“I was thinking about that finger and praying he didn’t get reinjured,” Kathleen says. “This whole journey, we were surrounded with lots of prayers from the community, coaches, teachers, and friends. We’re so thankful to them and to God.”
For Kade, it was a small milestone in his recovery. He’s more determined than ever to win state in basketball and tennis.
“It just really lit a fire in me,” he says.
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