The Comeback Story.

After a season-ending football injury this past fall, he gives insight on what his life has been like these past few months.

“It was our second to last football game of the season against Germantown Academy. We were up by a lot, and it was the second to last play of the game. I was long snapping for a punt, and we were trying to just finish the game with a win and move onto the last game. I was the first one down the field, ready to tackle the guy. He turned and cut a different direction, so I planted my right foot down to go after him. All of the sudden, I felt an excruciating pain in my right knee…”

Junior Connor Cary, the second youngest child of four, grew up in West Chester, Pa., where he has lived his whole life.

His younger brother Kevin Cary is currently in eighth grade and will soon become a freshman at Malvern next school year.

Cary’s two older siblings, sister Courtney and brother Chris, are out of high school. Courtney is a teacher, and Chris is a senior in college.

Cary’s older brother, Chris, graduated Malvern in the Class of 2014. Chris swam for Malvern’s team his whole high school career, and ended up at Loyola University in Maryland.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“It was a very emotional and trying time. I felt the disappointment and heartbreak that Connor was feeling for his swim season. As he was being carted off the field, he was talking about the swim team.”

-Mr. Kevin Cary

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Recently, Chris and his girlfriend brought life into the world, with their baby son Colby. Cary really enjoys his uncle status.

“Being an uncle is the greatest thing ever,” he said. “One, the baby is amazing and laughable, and two, it is so cool watching him grow.”

Cary also sees that having a baby isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

“Chris is definitely busy, with school, swim, and he is in the ROTC program,” he said. “But he is so happy that after each tiring day, he can go home to his girlfriend and the baby.”

Growing up, Cary played all different kinds of sports. As he grew older, he began to focus on just two: football and swimming.

Cary decided to follow his older brother’s footsteps and come to Malvern his freshman year. He played freshman football that fall, and swam for the Friars in the winter.

He made varsity football for the first time this season, playing long snapper for punts and extra points. He gave it all on the field each and every play.

During the second to last game of this past fall season, against Germantown Academy, Connor suffered a terrible season-ending injury to his right knee.

“When I planted my foot to switch directions, my knee felt like it got shot,” he said. “I knew immediately that something was not right.”

Cary fell to the ground on the field wincing with pain. He couldn’t think about anything else at that moment, except the agonizing pain he felt in his right knee. “Nothing… no pain has ever felt like that.”

He was then carted off of the field, and taken with his parents on the cart to their car. From there, they immediately went to the Malvern trainers to confirm that the injury was a torn ACL.

Two days later, Cary was taken to get an MRI on his knee, which officially confirmed that he had more than just an ACL tear.

“The MRI confirmed that I completely tore my ACL, and I also had a partial tear in my lateral meniscus. Most of the pain actually came from tearing the lateral meniscus because it had a lot more nerve endings attached to it,” he said.

Cary’s world had been flipped upside down. He had goals for this season, and for the upcoming swim season in the winter. “It all happened so fast, that I almost didn’t know what to think. I sort of blanked out in space, thinking ‘this is my life now.’”

Cary’s father Kevin was with him through the whole experience and couldn’t help but want to do something to help his son.

“It was a very emotional and trying time. I felt the disappointment and heartbreak that Connor was feeling for his swim season. As he was being carted off the field, he was talking about the swim team,” he said.

Cary said that his dad was extremely inspiring to him throughout the rehab process.

“My dad inspired me a lot. He’s had three different surgeries on his knee, so he knows what it’s like to be in my situation. He had a mindset of coming back better than ever. He played for Temple football and tore his ACL. The game after coming back he scored a touchdown against Penn State. I think that’s really inspiring,” he said.

The physical and emotional injury, however, is what really gave Cary the drive to give all his energy to rehab, and to coming back as quickly as possible.

“Getting back as soon as possible was what kept me going. Not just sports, but anything. To be my old self again, to walk normally, to get all the muscles back in leg. Getting to that day where I don’t have to worry about my knee anymore,” he said.

Not only did Cary have his family helping him through these tough times, he had his friends. Trevor Henderson ’19 recently had surgery on his knee cap because of an injury from cheer. Having a close friend to relate to emotionally was extremely helpful for both of them.

“Connor is a very fun and caring person,” Henderson said. “He’s very respectful. Us both having knee issues and surgery, we both sympathize with each other and helped each other get through it.”

Pushing himself through rehab day in and day out, Cary has recently been able to return to walking and swimming. However, the comeback story has only begun.

“My goal right now is, rehab wise, I want to regain all the muscles I had in my right thigh and calf. Personal goals for swimming are to get back next fall, work all summer, and prepare for Malvern and club swim next year,” he said.