There are not many people in the world that can take a potentially career ending injury and say it was a good thing. Then again, there are not many people in the world like Jeff Ford.

The NDNU senior, in his final year on campus, ruptured his Achilles tendon after a scrimmage practice. The effects were painfully immediate: playing basketball for the rest of the year was out of the question. What remained to be seen was whether he would ever be able to play the game again.

“I was just at open gym with friends and then I just fell down,” Ford said. “It felt like someone had literally stepped on my leg. I tried to stand up, and that’s when the real pain started. People who were around me said they heard a snap.”

The basketball standout would go from scrimmages and dunks, to wheelchairs and the sidelines.

The surgery to repair his Achilles tendon was no easy feat, no pun intended. Several tiny incisions were made along his heel as part of his orthoscopic surgery. It is similar to surgery done for knee replacements.

“This way, they didn’t have to cut open my entire heel,” Ford said. “So I was all for it.”

So while basketball was out of the question for his senior year, Ford had to begin the difficult task of adjusting to his new, reduced mobility life. One of the first things he noticed was how difficult it was to drive to school.

According to WebMD, The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel bone.

Despite being the strongest tendon in the body, it can be injured, especially in atheletes.

Most injuries heal on their own, though some may require surgery.

The goal of Ford’s medical treatment and rehabilitation is to go from a wheelchair initially to walking on crutches. After his heel is sufficiently strong enough to continue, Ford will be slipped into a walking boot.

Commuting from the East Bay to the peninsula, Ford must navigate interstates, state highways and the San Mateo Bridge – all during peak commute hours.

“I have to use my left foot to brake and give it gas. It’s certainly not an ideal situation, but I’ve made it work so far. I’m adaptable.”

He also carries everything he will need for the day in his 30 pound backpack. But, it has its advantages, according to Ford. “It helps keep me balanced on the stairs, actually.”

People continually ask him if he needs help. “I get the same question at least 10 times a day, ‘Need anything?’ I just laugh and say, nah. I’m good,” he said. In fact, at times he gets uncomfortable about the question.

“It’s the one thing that I actually get tired of,” he says. “I can handle things. I have to climb three stories of stairs every day to get home. Trust me, I’m okay.”

The whole experience has taught him something he never thought of going into it – being humble. “You never know what you have until you lose it,” he said.

As to his future in the sport he loves, there are doubts that reside in him. “As much as I want to come back here for another year as a grad student and play, it’s all up to how the rehab work goes.” If that is unsuccessful, “I’ve had to think about the future. If I can’t play basketball again, I think I want to teach young kids how to play the game. But I definitely do not want to be a coach – way too much stress involved in that.”

But he lamented towards the end of the interview. “I might be an assistant coach, but that’s the closest I’ll get to coaching.”

Through it all, however, Jeff has kept his trademark sense of humor.

“Crutches and wheelchairs are total chick magnets,” he said.

“I just wish I didn’t have to go through all the pain to find out about that!”