Liam Morrisey’s love for baseball started with his first hit of a ball off a tee when he was five years old. His love for the game grew so intensely that by the time he was eight years old, he was playing up on a U9 travel team.
He started pitching when he was nine with Main Baseball Academy (the program later joining DME Academy of Daytona Beach). When playing later with Lake Mary Little League he excelled in playing center field. Liam was continuously taking pitching and hitting lessons to improve his skills and to perfect his mechanics.
He continued to perform at a high level until he slid into second base just a tad too early on Saturday, March 2, 2024, and he dramatically injured his tibia in the process. The urgent care xray showed a obvious tibia fracture. It was a huge blow, especially since the leg injured was the landing leg he used to pitch.
He was sent home in a temporary cast with no pain meds (since he was only 12). Liam’s mom, Darouny, spent the early part of the next week frantically looking for an orthopedic specialist. She needed a provider that took their insurance and could see Liam as soon as possible.
Luckily, through one of his coach’s contacts, she found Dr. Robert Meuret with Greater Orlando Orthopedic Group. Although Dr. Meuret doesn’t typically see youth patients, as a trauma surgeon, he specialized in fractures. He met with Liam, set the leg and placed him in a full leg cast. The two immediately connected and Liam, although typically shy around adults, was attentive to Dr. Meuret’s instructions on the limitations.
“Liam hadn’t sustained a lot of injuries, so this was new to him. Dr. Meuret was great and had gained his trust during their interactions. He was very clear and very firm with what he was allowed to do while in the cast, says Darouny”
Liam kept the weight off his foot, but that didn’t stop him from sitting in his driveway with a bucket of balls playing catch with his dad, Nathan. Throwing kept his upper body in shape and helped him to maintain his grip strength for pitching.
The cast came off after many weeks, but the leg had greatly weakened. Only being able to put 50% weight on the leg, Liam took to the pool (he was also a swimmer) and started six weeks of physical therapy.
In early June, Liam was cleared to resume practice with his Lake Mary All Star team. He started slowly and gradually worked up to the 2x day/4 hours of practice per day between the team and pitching (coach, Rudy Travglini) and hitting (coach, Michael Main) lessons. Liam’s DME Academy travel team was scheduled to play in Cooperstown, New York, which had always be a dream of Liam’s, but Dr. Meuret explained that a tournament of that caliber should wait until his leg had fully recovered. It was hard news for Liam to take, but he felt reassured by Dr. Meuret that he was making the right decision.
He dreamed of hitting home runs at Cooperstown, but accepted the situation and was very positive and supported his teammates.
Trust is very important to an injured child and Dr. Meuret earned that trust right away.
In July came the Little League World Series playoffs. Liam was back in full swing. ESPN labeled him as the “No Fly Zone” for his ability to to catch any ball hit in the outfield. “He just pretended that every ball is being hit directly to him,” says Darouny. “His acceleration and agility were back, and we attribute that to the PT and him taking the right amount of time to recover.”
The result, as well all know was a Little League World Championship.
Liam’s speed on the bases, timely hits, and defense in the outfield were key contributors to a very talented Lake Mary team.
Liam says this about his care with Dr. Meuret, “Dr. Meuret was patient and very nice. He understood the situation I was in. He was very passionate to treat the injury. I would recommend Dr. Meuret in the case another baseball friend or I get injured in the future.”
The advanced specialists at Greater Orlando Orthopedic Group are specialized in orthopedic, trauma, sports medicine and joint replacement surgeries. We strive to provide accessible, high quality and cost-effective orthopedic care where our patients are treated with respect and compassion.
Our physicians perform arthroscopic surgery, robotic hip and knee surgery, hand, elbow and wrist surgery. They also specialize in hip, knee and shoulder reconstruction and replacement surgery. Call us (407) 977-4130 to schedule a consultation.
