[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ike many times before in practice, Hays High football player Marcos Barrera knew his role when “F-right” was called in an October 2014 game at Anderson High.
As an offensive lineman, Barerra’s job was to block down and help set up a lane for his running back.
What seemed like an exercise in the routine turned into a nightmare scenario.
“I was blocking down and then I remember hearing a snap in my leg,” Barrera said. “I then couldn’t get off the ground.”
But what was thought to be just a broken leg turned into three years of turmoil for Barrera, who has endured more than 20 surgeries, and even a threat of potential amputation.
After an aggressive physical therapy regiment, Barrera, who was once told he may never play football again, aims in his senior season to complete an arduous climb back to the playing field.
The injury
The injury itself was a quick action. Marcos was engaged with a defender on the game’s first play when another football player inadvertently fell on his right leg, which was planted in the turf.
Pain from the injury didn’t hit Marcos until five seconds afterward. He then looked down and saw why other players were calling for coaches and athletic trainers.
“My leg was almost in half. It was dangling,” Marcos said. “I started to freak out.”
First on the scene were Hays coaches Stuart Foreman and Gary Gaddy, who tried to calm Marcos down.
Maggie Barrera, Marcos’ mom, was in the stands with her husband, Mike, and saw her son was down on the field. At first she thought he was suffering from leg cramps. She then saw he had a compound fracture of his tibia and fibia.
“When the coaches looked for us in the stands, we knew something was wrong,” Maggie said.
A call to EMS was made and roughly 40 minutes later, Marcos was shuttled to Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin.
Once at the hospital, Marcos endured a four-hour surgery to repair his broken leg.
When he awoke, Marcos remembered feeling a lot of pain – and fear. He also could feel the incision left by surgeons. As a result, Marcos said he refused to look at his leg, believing that if he didn’t see his leg, the injury didn’t actually happen.
Ultimately, the gravity of the situation proved too much to keep in.
“I just broke down in the hospital room and started crying in my bed,” Marcos said. “I was broken down.”
But Marcos’ problems quickly worsened. A second surgery was conducted to combat compartment syndrome, a condition where severe trauma causes high pressure to build in a limb, cutting off blood circulation and possibly leading to amputation.
Doctors eventually attempted to place a skin graft on Marcos’ leg.
Then, Marcos began to contract an infection in his leg; it was an issue that didn’t subside until June 2015. As a result, Marcos kept going back to the operating table as doctors tried their best to repair him.
As of October 2016, Marcos has undergone more than 20 surgeries to repair his leg. The toll of those procedures hit Marcos harder than any football player could.
“After so many, it takes a toll on your body. You feel depressed by the medicine you take,” Marcos said. “It’s not feeling like rock bottom, but you feel depressed and you don’t want to do anything.”
Impact off the field
As a result of his injury, Marcos was wheelchair bound for the first six months of his injury. He also missed the majority of his freshman year at Hays. Teachers such as Laurie Callis helped by going to Marcos’ home and helping him with homework and other school related matters.
Maggie said she took Family Medical Leave of Absence (FMLA) from her job to tend to Marcos, taking him to and from appointments.
It didn’t take long, however, for Marcos’ situation to improve. By summer 2015, Marcos was given the go-ahead to start the physical rehabilitation process.
It was grueling work involving a team of physical trainers, as well as members of the Hays High athletic training staff. Supporting Marcos was Neal LaHue, Rebel athletic coordinator and head football coach, as well as his teammates.
All worked to get Marcos not only on his feet, but to be able to walk again.
That task was made more difficult after Marcos was fitted for a brace to combat drop foot, which was caused by a damaged nerve.
Sarah Ashworth, Hays High assistant athletic trainer who helped Marcos’ recovery, said PT involved calf raises and the use of ankle bands. There was also work to strengthen the hip muscles.
“He was not able to do things until he was cleared,” Ashworth said. “Then it was like two years worth (of PT) in six months.”
One primary constant was Barrera’s drive to get back on the field with his teammates, with whom he’s played since little league.
Proving the doctors who said he may never play sports again wrong gave him ample movtivation.
For Marcos, the toughest obstacle to overcome was the mental wall.
“The biggest thing was the mental aspect, to keep on pushing myself to not give up and not let the injury keep me away from the game,” Marcos said.
Back on the gridiron
All of the hard work finally paid off in March when Marcos was cleared to play.
Maggie could see how the news brightened her son, who is normally a stoic person. He began to push the limits of his therapy, as well as started running and jogging.
Like many parents, Maggie had mixed feelings when her son was told he could play again. Even with her apprehension, Maggie understands the determination her son brings, fueled by his desire to play.
“There’s no slow for Marcos,” Maggie said.
Marcos now eyes the chance to try to hit the field with his teammates this fall.
“The big thing was to prove my doctors wrong, who said football wouldn’t be a thing in my future,” he said. “I told myself it doesn’t matter how long it took, as long as I get there.”
