Teen who suffered devastating knee injury donates custom LEGO therapy kits to surgery patients
By Michelle Charlesworth
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NEW YORK (WABC) — After suffering a devastating knee injury that required one of the most complex surgeries doctors perform, an 18-year-old athlete from Connecticut is turning pain into purpose.
During nearly a year of recovery at Hospital for Special Surgery, LEGOs helped Devin Brenner cope.
Now, he’s giving that comfort back, by creating custom LEGO kits to inspire hope and resilience for young patients facing their own long roads to recovery.
You’d never know athlete Devin Brenner suffered a terrible injury two years ago. He shattered his left knee in the long jump when he was 16.
“I hyperextended it. I dislocated my knee, and tore my PCL, MCL, LCL and meniscus,” Brenner said.
The road back meant seven hours in a major surgery, grueling physical therapy and time in a brace.
Dr. Anil Ranawat at the Hospital for Special Surgery put him back together.
“You need a great kid who wants to work really hard. We have great therapists. We have great anesthesiologists. You need a great family support. But ultimately, you need a kid with grit. And this is the definition of grit,” Dr. Ranawat said.
Brenner, now 18, leaned in. This was a special surgery. It required physical therapy, then eventually the treadmill.
But there were months before that, while he was in a bed recovering, when someone gave him a LEGO kit.
“It reignited this passion that he had when he was 4 years old, which was building LEGOs,” said Brenner’s mom, Jennifer Crowley.
His happiness, he knew, could help other kids.
“They need something in the hospital to occupy their time, and to keep their mind sharp and to keep themselves from becoming unhappy,” Brenner said.
Brenner joined an organization called “Pass the Bricks” that repurposes old LEGOs, and he asked people on Facebook for their old ones.
“I got thousands and thousands. At one point I had to tell them I can’t accept anymore because I just can’t handle all of it. It was amazing,” Brenner said.
“He washes them very carefully, and then he spreads them out on a tarp. It’s a lot,” Crowley said.
If a set is missing a LEGO piece, he finds it, and then hands out the complete sets.
He’s done this labor of love while applying to college and dealing with high school.
“He took something kind of thrown away and beat up, and made something of value out of it,” Dr. Ranawat said. “It’s a good metaphor.”
Brenner has fought his way back to a “personal best” in the high jump.
It’s amazing how all the pieces have fit together.
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