Summit Middle School student Ignacio Villarreal is already well on his way to becoming a star-studded athlete.

Although he is only in the eighth grade, Villarreal has displayed that he is not only a skilled athlete, but that he also has the work ethic to go far in whatever sport he decides to pursue when he reaches the high school ranks.

From sprinting as fast as he can across the track to breaking down the field for a touchdown, Villarreal has steadily chiseled out a spot for himself on athletic teams at Summit Middle School. 

It was while Villarreal was competing for the Summit Middle School football team on Thursday, Sept. 18, that a freak, season-ending injury occurred. Five to 10 minutes into the Tigers’ game against Eagle Valley Middle School in Eagle, Villarreal was tackled from behind, resulting in the skilled player falling to the ground and breaking his leg. 

The cause of the break was not necessarily the force of the tackle, but was more due to Villarreal’s leg being twisted at an unnatural angle. 

“It bent 90 degrees like it is not supposed to,” Ignacio’s father Walter Villarreal said. “One of the parents claimed he was a doctor, and what he did was really good. They immobilized him, and, by the time the ambulance came, he was as stable as possible.”

The break was so severe that Villarreal had to be rushed by ambulance from the football field in Eagle to Vail Health Hospital. Soon after Villarreal arrived at the hospital, an X-ray revealed that the talented athlete had suffered complete fractures of both the bones that make up the lower leg — the tibia and fibula. 

With the two bones being completely fractured, Villarreal was ushered into emergency surgery at around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night. Dr. Max Seiter at Vail Health performed the surgery, placing a rod and multiple screws along the broken leg bones.

“We think it was great,” Ignacio’s mother, ​​Priscila Iriarte, said. “They placed a titanium rod that goes from the knee down to the ankle.”

Following the successful surgery on Thursday night, Villarreal was released from the hospital on Friday, Sept. 19, and returned to his home in Summit County. However, within a few hours of being back in his own bed, Villarreal began experiencing searing chest pain and high blood pressure. 

Worried about a potential blood clot, Villarreal was rushed back to the hospital Saturday, Sept. 20, to pinpoint what was causing the middle school student trouble. Villarreal was assessed via a CT scan where it was found that there was no blood clot present. 

It was then determined that the reason for Villarreal’s chest pain and high blood pressure was due to the stress of the broken bones, surgery and the anesthesia filtering its way through his system.

Since being checked out at the hospital, Villarreal’s recovery has been relatively smooth. Although he is still in quite a bit of pain,Villarreal was able to attend his first physical therapy session on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Villarreal is expected to be in physical therapy for approximately the next six months as he gets accustomed to regaining movement and strength. 

Even though Villarreal has been able to attend physical therapy, he is still relatively immobile for the next several weeks. As someone who loves activity, Villarreal has struggled to come to terms with the reality of being stuck at home.

In his lowest moments, Iriarte says Villarreal often questions why such a significant injury happened to him. Yet, like many promising athletes, he is choosing to see the setback as a new challenge.

“He has moments where he says that he wants to show the doctors that he can heal faster than anyone,” Iriarte said. “… He is very competitive. He wants to be good at everything.”

When not working to heal his body, Villarreal has been visited by his many friends and teammates. The love and support from his friends have made the painful moments more manageable. 

“The time that the kids are here it is like he doesn’t think about the pain,” Iriarte said. “He forgets about everything. He had a great time with the kids. We have been thankful for all the people that have brought us food, ice, ice machines. The community was very great. There are no words to express my gratitude.”

Community members have not only shown their support by visiting Villarreal or bringing over warm meals for the family. Shortly after Villarreal broke his leg, a GoFundMe was set up as a way to help fund the family’s ensuing hospital, physical therapy and transportation bills. 

Since the GoFundMe launched on Thursday night, Sept. 18, the community has helped raise over $10,000. As of Friday afternoon, Sept. 26, a total of 130 donors had contributed to the campaign’s $15,000 goal. 

To donate to the campaign and keep up with Villarreal’s continual progress, visit GoFundMe.com.

Villarreal is expected to make a full recovery and hopes to be back to playing sports next year.