#second-degree

New Story has been published on https://enzaime.com/teen-punches-past-acl-injury/

Teen Punches Past ACL Injury

Two days before her spring tournament, Irene Herbert was sparring like a pro during Taekwondo practice. But during a ferocious kick, the black-belter felt a pop in her knee – and soon saw ACL surgery in her future.

“I immediately dropped,” Irene remembered. The then-15-year-old headed to her pediatrician’s office to get the injury checked out. A follow-up MRI at Children’s Mercy confirmed her doctor’s suspicion: a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).

Bracing herself for recovery Donna M. Pacicca, MD, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, oversaw Irene’s treatment: getting her fitted for a brace and doing physical therapy to strengthen her joint in preparation for surgery. In May 2014, Irene’s knee was ready to go under the knife. She had outpatient arthroscopic reconstructive ACL surgery and, a week later, was back at work with her physical therapist.

By October, she got the news she’d been waiting for: She could start Taekwondo again as long as she wore her knee brace and continued PT.

Gold-medal recovery Irene’s recovery continued along its stellar path. In January 2015, Dr. Pacicca said the teen’s knee was strong enough to stop therapy. “I was able to participate in sparring and all other physical activity, but still with my knee brace,” Irene explained. By spring, she participated in her first tournament since the injury. The result? Golden – as in winning a gold medal.

By June, her recovery was complete. “Dr. Pacicca said my knee was looking great, and I no longer needed to wear my brace for physical activity.”

Irene, though, was hesitant. After all, she’d already missed the previous year’s tournament, a church mission trip and delayed getting her driver’s license. So, for two more months, she continued to wear the brace, despite her doctor’s assurances.

Her mom, Carrie, said Dr. Pacicca helped to renew her daughter’s faith in her abilities. “At each doctor appointment, Dr. Pacicca told Irene this was a life lesson and to do her best and see it through to the end,” Carrie explained.

As a result, Irene said, she’s now back on the sparring mat. “Today, I am confident in myself and have no doubts about my knee while doing Taekwondo.”

Carrie said her daughter was a true contender during her recovery. “Irene never complained and went through each step of the journey to recovery like a champ! I have watched her mature and come through this ordeal as a stronger and more confident competitor.” Today, in fact, Irene is a second-degree, level-three black belt and a certified instructor.

Man tried to shoot his wife

man tried to shoot his wife while she breastfed their 4-month-old, because he was jealous of how much time she spent with the baby, she told police. Nicholas George Lehmeier, 28, was charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for the attempted shooting in Minnesota. His wife said he physically and verbally abused her for 10 years, before pointing a shotgun at her while she nursed…

A teenage mother is charged with second-degree murder for allegedly stabbing her friend over a dispute about a $20 loan that escalated into a Facebook feud.

Kamisha Richards, 22, died after being stabbed in the chest with a steak knife Monday night inside an apartment in the east New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, police said.

Kayla Henriques, 18, was arrested early Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

Investigators are still trying to determine what exactly happened between the two young women, who were described as lifelong friends. Richards was dating Henriques' brother, Ramel."We cannot comment on what is going on in the investigation," a New York Police Department spokeswoman told AOL News today. However, a heated exchange on Facebook offers a glimpse into a possible motive.

About three days before the stabbing, the two women had gotten into a dispute that started with a $20 loan, according to The New York Times. Richards had lent her friend the money so Henriques could buy Pampers for her 11-month-old son, but Richards became furious when she found out that Henriques had spent the cash on something else, the report said.Over the weekend, the argument escalated via Facebook comments and text messages.

"U don't do 4no 1. ... I have no kids and I refuse 2take care of any1 elses so yeah I will be needing that $20. ... this the last time u will con me into giving u money," Richards posted at about 5:44 p.m. Sunday, according to London's Daily Mail.

Henriques replied, "Dnt try to expose me mama but I'm not tha type to thug it ova facebook see u wen u get frm wrk."

The argument continued, and at 8:52 p.m., Richards said, "Ima have the last laugh," to which Henriques replied: "We will see."

Roughly 24 hours after the last message was posted, Richards reportedly went to Henriques' apartment and confronted her about the money. The argument began in the kitchen and continued in a bedroom, where Richards was stabbed, police said.

Richards stumbled out into a hallway, where she was found by one of Henriques' relatives.

"She wasn't panicking," the relative told the New York Daily News. "She was calm. I called the ambulance and put pressure on [the wound]. I did everything I could to try to save the girl."Responding paramedics transported Richards to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Investigators reportedly found the steak knife at the crime scene and followed a blood trail to a neighboring apartment building, where Henriques was arrested.

According to the Times, Henriques is an 11th-grader at John Adams High School. The newspaper said Richards had graduated from John Jay College in May with a degree in criminal justice. She worked as a security guard at JPMorgan Chase in Manhattan and planned to attend Brooklyn Law School.