Ankle Injury Helps Woman Choose Her Career Path

Tram Huynh of San Jose, California, didn’t expect that her visit to see her boyfriend in Bergen County, NJ would include a trip to Hackensack Meridian Health’s Palisades Medical Center Emergency Department. Or that the experience would inspire her to change her entire career trajectory. As it turned out, a broken ankle led to both — and she couldn’t be more grateful.

Crash and Fall

In May 2025, then-22-year-old Tram was riding to her boyfriend’s apartment on an electric scooter when a bad turn sent her off course. “I went flying [off the scooter],” recalls Tram, who was riding the scooter because she didn’t have a car. “When I hit the ground, I immediately felt my foot and ankle turn to jelly; I lost sensation.”

She and her boyfriend went straight to the nearest hospital and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, Tram got the sense that something was off the moment she hobbled inside. “The ED was empty, like a ghost town hospital. It seemed like a bad sign,” she says.

So the couple left and made their way to Palisades, which was also nearby. “I was lucky that it was the second place we chose,” she says. This emergency department was “bustling” with plenty of patients. The receptionist took Tram’s information, and she was quickly settled into a bed. Tram knew she was in the right place and began to feel at ease.

Getting Answers, Making Decisions

Tram was soon wheeled into the X-ray area so her care team could get a closer look at her ankle injury.

After her imaging test, Tram met with orthopedic surgeon Kevin Chen, M.D. The two immediately developed a chatty rapport that made Tram feel comfortable. But he had some bad news: Tram had a broken ankle — and it needed surgery.

Tram’s ankle was broken in a few places, and the main fracture was what doctors call displaced and unstable, meaning the two pieces of broken bone had a large gap between them. To bring the pieces back together and restore stability, Dr. Chen suggested open reduction and internal fixation surgery, which would help the break heal properly and help reduce Tram’s risk for ankle arthritis later in life. The procedure would involve realigning Tram’s ankle bone and using metal rods or screws to stabilize the bone and hold it in place while it healed.

Tram was shocked that the injury was so serious. “I thought I had just sprained it,” she says. She felt like she was in good hands with Dr. Chen though. “He explained the options and didn’t pressure me. That really helped,” she says.>

When Tram called her family back in California to let them know about her injury, they encouraged her to fly home and get the surgery there in several weeks. While Dr. Chen agreed that waiting could be an option, he mentioned that a long delay could make the surgery and healing more difficult.

“When you wait too long to do surgery, the bone can start to heal in the wrong position, which can make surgery more challenging. It’s easier to put the pieces back together when they’re freshly broken,” Dr. Chen explains. Plus, flying could make her ankle swell, causing discomfort, and could put her at risk of developing blood clots.

Surgery and Recovery

Having established a sense of trust with Dr. Chen — and being in a good deal of pain — Tram decided to have the surgery at HMH, and her procedure was booked for the next morning.

“If Dr. Chen wasn’t there, I might have just gone home,” she says. “But he was someone who [made me feel] like, oh, thank goodness, this guy is my surgeon.”

The surgery went smoothly, and Tram’s ankle was placed in a cast. She was discharged with pain medication and crutches the same day and was instructed to avoid putting weight on her ankle.

Tram met with Dr. Chen for a follow-up visit two weeks later, and her cast and sutures were removed. She was also given an orthopedic boot to wear. Dr. Chen instructed her to continue to avoid putting pressure on her ankle and go to physical therapy a few times a week when she got home.

With her recovery on track, she headed home to San Jose. By August 2025, she was able to walk for five or 10 minutes at a time. She completed physical therapy that December and has since been able to get back to most of her normal activities, including Pilates and strength training.

Taking Big Next Steps

Tram had planned to start school to earn her Physician Assistant (PA) degree in the fall of 2025.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get into med school, so PA school had been the plan,” she says.

But the experience with her ankle made her rethink her future: She wanted to become a doctor instead. “Dr. Chen was really amazing, and I was really grateful. I wanted to have that same impact on someone else,” she says.

Things moved fast from there. She spent mid-June to mid-July studying for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) while she was recovering; then, she took the MCAT in mid-July and applied to medical school as soon as she got her results.

She received her acceptance letter in March 2026 and will start her program at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine this fall. The hope? To specialize in orthopedic surgery, just like Dr. Chen.

“I had trouble settling on a path before this, but I feel like this experience really crystallized a future for me,” says Tram, who feels that going through the ankle break and surgery firsthand will make her a better doctor.

As for e-scooters, she’ll be steering clear from now on.

Next Steps & Resources

• Meet our source: Kevin Chen, M.D.
• Make an appointment online with an orthopedic specialist near you, or call 800-822-8905.
• Learn more about our orthopedic services.