For the first time in over eight months, senior Alec Mackay is able to walk down the De Soto High School halls without a boot, crutches, scooter, etc.

“Jan. 5 (2012) was the last time I went on a run and that’s when I knew I had really hurt myself,” Mackay said.

In February, Mackay saw a doctor about the pain in his right foot and was put into a boot and had to use crutches. Mackay still had severe pain by May and was referred to a surgeon. The surgeon suggested Mackay do physical therapy for two months before any surgery was decided on.

In July, after another MRI an extra bone was discovered in Mackay’s foot. “We went to surgery and cut the extra bone out thinking that it would relieve some of the pain,” Mackay said. “It made things worse.”

In an effort to finally get Mackay walking again, he and his family met with a panel of 15 doctors. Each had a different idea of what was wrong with him. The ideas were nerve damage, herniation, a blood clot and one doctor even suggested that Mackay was making up the pain and should see a psychiatrist.

The Mackay’s ended up choosing surgeon Jeff Johnson who thought there was some type of damage to the plantar fascia but suggested a cut and check type of diagnosis. Once they opened his foot up, the surgeons discovered the dense connective tissue resembled cobwebs in Mackay’s foot and his plantar fascia was shredded.

“To actually find that [shredded plantar fascia] they have to use a sonagram and they couldn’t find anything,” Mackay said. “I was just fed up at that point so I took the scanner from them and put it on my own foot and found the problem.”

The surgeon made an inch long cut around the plantar fascia and Mackay was on a scooter for two weeks. When he finally got the stitches out he was able to take his first steps in over eight months.

Since his accident, Mackay’s right calf has shrunk four inches. He missed playing soccer his senior year and couldn’t golf last year. Now, Mackay swims every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for physical therapy and is starting to work into leg exercises again in weights. Whenever he feels comfortable, Mackay can start running again.