Nick DiStefano, a 15 year-old ice hockey player who has been playing since he was seven years old, received the news last winter that he would need not one, but two shoulder surgeries if he wanted to keep playing. The aspiring college and NHL hockey player would have a difficult road ahead of him in the following months. A varsity letterman at Wall Township High School, his future in hockey was unclear.

Nick was discouraged by the news, but had known something was wrong before the diagnosis of torn labrums in both shoulders. For two years, he had recurring pain in his shoulders. Then, earlier this year, he took a hit during a game and it sent him to the hospital. He had MRIs done, which found the tears.

The labrum is a fibrocartilage structure found in the shoulder joint. When the labrum is torn, the ball of the shoulder can slide partially or all the way out of the socket, referred to as a subluxation or dislocation. In injuries like Nick’s, the biceps tendon is also involved. The biceps tendon attaches to the shoulder, where it joins with the labrum. When there is an injury in this area, the labrum and bicep tendon are both damaged, causing significant pain and discomfort.

The news came from Dr. Christopher Doumas, a hand and upper extremity orthopaedic surgeon at University Orthopaedic Associates. Nick’s mother, Carole DiStefano, had heard of Dr. Doumas through her work as an ICU nurse at Jersey Shore Medical Center. “Working in the hospital, I checked with multiple staff members for recommendations, and they all recommended Dr. Doumas.”

Although the diagnosis was made in February, Nick still finished his hockey season. Dr. Doumas, a passionate hockey player and fan himself, understood why it was important for Nick to finish the season. In March 2014, 3 days after the end of the season, Nick went into his first surgery. “He was a little bit nervous,” says his mom, “but Dr. Doumas spoke to him before and was so calming.”

In May 2014, two months after the first surgery, Dr. Doumas performed the same surgery on the other shoulder. “For the second surgery, he knew exactly what to expect. He was in surgery and back home in four hours,” recounts Carole.

Throughout the process, Nick gained a different appreciation of the sport he has loved for so many years. When it seemed that his future in hockey was possibly in jeopardy, he became even more passionate about the sport than ever before. He got a job at an ice rink and is teaching young kids how to skate. Dr. Doumas encouraged this saying, “This was a great way for Nick to get back on the ice and condition himself while rehabbing the shoulders. He is a very tough hitting defenseman, I’ve seen the videos! I wanted to make sure he was strong enough to withstand the impact of high school checking.”

In the months between and after the surgeries, Nick was dedicated to his physical therapy regime. He was one hundred percent committed to getting back to playing. Because of his hard work and Dr. Doumas’ skilled surgical approach, Nick was back on the ice in August, just 5 months post-surgery. He just had tryouts for his high school team, and will be having another successful season playing defense for Wall Township, thanks to the help of Dr. Doumas.

Not only is Nick’s hockey career no longer in jeopardy, he is now also pain free. Growing up he liked to sleep with his arms behind his head. Carole says she walked into his room one morning to see him sleeping in that position and told him that she had not seen him look so comfortable in a long time. Nick told her he had not been able to sleep like that for four years.

Carole describes her experience working with Dr. Doumas, “I work with doctors all day long and I have never met a doctor like him. He connects with you on a personal level and never makes you feel like you are being rushed. When you are sending your child into not one, but two surgeries you want to make sure you trust the doctor. I trusted him immediately which says a lot about his character.”

Now possibly needing a shoulder surgery herself, Carole says she would not consider any other surgeon than Dr. Doumas.