Jimmy Bigwood was born with his left leg slightly shorter than his right, and as he grew, the difference in size grew as well. By the time Jimmy was 12 years old, his left leg was almost two inches shorter.
“If you looked hard it was easy to tell that he walked a little funny,” said Jimmy?s dad, Jim Sr. “But the real difference was when he ran. It never stopped him from playing, and we always knew that we would have to do something about it.”
The Bigwoods went to have Jimmy evaluated by a physician, who gave him two options: have one major surgery now, or many major surgeries later in his life.
“I knew that it was best to have surgery, and they said there were two directions to go, either lengthen the left leg or shorten the right. I had no hesitation in saying I wanted the leftleg longer,” he said.
On Nov. 20, 2002, the surgery was performed at the Rubin Institute at Sinai Hospital by world-renowned Dr. Dror Paley. For the next year, Jimmy would wear a large brace that used metal rods drilled into his leg to keep it in place, allowing him very little mobility.
“It was definitely a reality check, it was scary, and it was a little overwhelming for someone that young. I did a lot of maturing really fast,” Jimmy said.
After more than a year of constant rehabilitation, Jimmy successfully returned to usual activities such as sports, camping and hiking, but kept the experience close to his heart.
As part of an Eagle Scout project this year, Jimmy looked to give back to the institution that changed his life. After several weeks of collecting gym shorts, Jimmy, members of his troop and Rae Cumbie, owner of a clothing store in Aneslie, worked to customize more than 200 pairs of shorts to fit over the brace worn after the surgery for patients at the hospital.
“I remembered how overwhelming dealing with the operation was, and I really wanted to do something to give back after everything they had done for me. In all the preparation for the surgery, clothing was a minor aspect we forgot when I went through it, and I was told it was an aspect most people forgot, so I decided that?s what I wanted to do.”
On Nov. 9, Jimmy delivered the more than 200 pairs of shorts to the exhilarated hospital. Jimmy said, “Everyone there remembered me, and to give something to them after everything they had given to me, it truly felt great.”
Tim Bojanowski is a senior at Towson High School. He is an intern with The Examiner.
