Teen surfer starts school with hand back on arm

Teen surfer starts school with hand back on arm

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By Associated Press

BEND, Ore. (AP) -- Cole Ortega is starting high school — two-handed.

The 14-year-old surfer from Bend was in the water off Pacific City in July when a fishing dory severed his arm. But friends retrieved it, still in neoprene, and doctors reattached it.

He's going through a lot of physical therapy, and his doctors still aren't sure how completely he'll recover.

But he's getting back into a teenage life — still mindful of his injury.

He's going back to school as a freshman at Summit High School, taking an occasional ride on his mountain bike. He can't play soccer yet, but he's hoping to get in some snowboarding this winter.

 


(Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.)

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