Bronx boy who broke knees takes state ex...

Bronx boy who broke knees takes state ex...

Jeanne Noonan for New York Daily News

Mycah Osuala, 12, spent the last few months at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside, Queens, after breaking both of his legs. Despite the injuries, he was able to take his state English exams before he was discharged Thursday. His mother, Monique Wilson, picked up his homework from his school in Harlem so he wouldn’t fall behind.

Two broken knees, surgery and a three-month hospital stay may have seemed like the perfect excuse for an academic vacation.

But the experience instead motivated aspiring basketball star Mycah Osuala, 12, of the Bronx, to do better in school, he said.

The seventh-grader took his state English tests before walking out of St. Marys Hospital for Children in Bayside, Queens, on Thursday. Hes set to take the state math tests at Democracy Prep Harlem Middle School this week.

When I got here I was a little m ad about why this happened to me, said Mycah. But being in this hospital changed me. ... I want to be a better person.

Mycah broke both his knees at the same time in January while running in front of his school.

Ian MacManus, director of rehabilitation at St. Marys said Mycahs muscle ripped the bone away from itself in a rare occurrence.

The freak accident may have been due to a growth spurt, which can weaken bones during adolescence, he said. Mycah is 6-foot-1 and still growing.

He wore casts stretching from his upper thighs to his ankles.

Mycah underwent intensive physical and occupational therapy sessions between classes at a public school on the hospital campus. The school has 30 to 40 patients attending at any given time, a hospital official said.

Mycahs mother also picked up his homework from school so he wouldnt fall behind.

I realized some people have disabilities worse than my injuries, said Mycah, who befriend ed many of his fellow patients. They might not go home, so instead of me complaining, I turned it into a good thing.

He is expected to make a full recovery, MacManus said.

His determination to work through the pain and discomfort has progressed him from not being able to stand up to walking out of here, MacManus said. It amazes me that with all these events in his life, he hasnt missed a beat.

Jami Shapiro, Mycahs medical social worker, said before the seventh-grader was discharged, staff made sure he could commute from the Gun Hill section of the Bronx to his Harlem school on his own.

He can do whatever he wants to do, Shapiro said. Hes truly an inspiration to all of the other patients.

Mycahs mother Monique Wilson, 39, said the accident brought her closer to her only child.

Im very happy hes able to come home, she said. Now Im not lonely no more. I got my baby back.

ctrapasso@nydailynews.com