Noah Wood
Noah Wood turned the disappointment of two knee surgeries during his junior year of high school into a senior year of triumph.
Noah, who graduated from Quakertown Community High School (QCHS) in June and is headed to Ithaca College in the fall, underwent a pair of a pair of knee arthroscopies as a junior that derailed his hopes of making the PIAA Wrestling Championships that season.
His resolve, however, proved his determination as he returned to play football as a running back and linebacker, rushing for more than 1,000 yards as a senior, and then not only making the PIAA Wrestling Championships, but also making it to the second day of the grueling tournament.
Credit: St. Luke’s University Hospital
St. Luke’s sports medicine team, part of St. Luke’s Orthopedic Care, helped Noah excel through his football and wrestling career so much that he is now part of the QCHS Medical Pathways program with SLUHN and is considering entering the medical field, possibly in orthopedics or cardiology.
Despite wrist injuries, a shoulder injury, the knee surgeries and a concussion, Noah excelled both on the field and in the classroom, as well as in the community, making him one of “St. Luke’s Extraordinary Athletes.”
“My major thing is playing sports and has been a part of my life ever since I was a young kid,” said Noah, who has a 4.1 GPA on a weighted grade scale. “It’s what I pride myself on, so I owed it to my friends and teammates to come back and play better than before. I always pull energy from the people around me to help me get through the tough times.”
Noah also pulled strength from his friend, a special needs student at Quakertown who he’s been paired up with since sophomore year as part of the high school’s Best Buddies club.
“He would come over to my house; we’d hang out and play video games, go bowling or out for ice cream,” Noah said. “It always feels good to be a friend for someone, to be there to talk to and brighten up their day.”
Noah found that same type of support from the sports medicine professionals at St. Luke’s Orthopedic Care, and a team that included Quakertown athletic trainer Jerry Dancho, primary care sports medicine physicians Dr. Nicholas Crognale and Dr. Celestine Nnaeto, and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gregory Carolan.
“Noah is great kid,” said Dancho, who had plenty of one-on-one time with Noah by giving initial on-field diagnoses while helping in post-injury and surgery recovery. “You think you have this tough-as-nails football player, and he’s great in school, National Honor Society, ridiculous GPA, Best Buddies, involved in everything. He works hard at everything he does, and he rehabbed hard to get back without letting it affect the other areas of his life.”
Dr. Carolan experienced that same kind of resolve from Noah.
“He didn’t want to think about what happened,” Dr. Carolan says. “He only wanted to think about what he could do to get back to a competitive level.”
There is no question about the determination or toughness Noah displayed during his injuries and recovery. His work ethic and relationships with the St. Luke’s Orthopedic Care team aided him, and Noah missed only a minimal amount of playing time. His care team was able to quickly diagnose and treat the wide array of injuries both on and off the field, helping Noah succeed and become one of the best local athletes in both football and wrestling.
Note: This story is a news release from St. Luke’s University Health Network.
