Anyone who was ever an athlete whose career — whether you had any chance of turning pro or going to the Olympics — was cut short by injury can certainly relate to the story of Wesley Chapel resident Valerie Simon.
Once the top-rated girls tennis player in Florida, who was training at the Harry Hopman Tennis Academy at Saddlebrook Resort, and one of the top handful in the entire country, Valerie, who is now 18, tripped on a tennis ball in 2023 and the injury she suffered, according to her mother Daniella, “was misdiagnosed as not being a fracture.”
As the pain of the injury continued to get worse, rather than improve, Valerie ended up at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City, where titanium rods were surgically implanted to repair her broken navicular bone.
Following the recommended healing time, Valerie entered and won the Dasani Georgia Mayor’s Cup Junior “Super Championship,” but after receiving the trophy, Valerie insisted “My other foot is broken.” Because she had put so much pressure on her non-surgical foot during the tournament, Daniella says, “she now had a broken navicular bone in her other foot. Her career was over at barely 16 years old. She tried many time to go back to tennis,” but couldn’t because of the “loading” you have to do to hit those power shots.
Making Lemonade
After seeing how expensive her medical bills were, Daniella says, “She made lemonade from lemons and turned pain into purpose,” by starting “Serve for Strength,” a 501(c)(3) nonprofit “supporting individuals and families facing life-changing health challenges…Through community-driven events, we raise funds for organizations that provide care and relief to those in need.
Because of the amazing surgeries she received at HSS, Daniella says the new organizations first three fund raisers were held in New York to benefit the Foot & Ankle Dept. at HSS.
“I felt very alone after my injuries,” Valerie says. “I didn’t want anyone else to feel alone.”
Valerie signed with the Professional Pickleball Association in Jan., so Daniella decided to host Serve for Strength’s most recent fund raiser on Apr. 19, on the new eight-court pickleball complex at Saddlebrook, where the entire family — twin sisters Vanessa and Victoria, 16, her father Jonathan and 13-year-old brother Zachary, as well as Daniella, all played or helped run the event.
“We had about 170 people enter the tournament, where we had multiple men’s and women’s divisions — a total of 12 age brackets. We brought together people of all ages, from teens to people in their 80s. Some had only four teams, others had as many as twelve. Several of the players had taken clinics with our girls and were playing competitively for the first time ever. We even had a ‘Meet a Partner, Make a Friend’ event after the tournament ended because we had to shut down the entries.”
So, how did the tournament do?
“We ended up raising about $3,500 to help fund the Foundation’s future events,” Daniella says, because everything we want to do costs money.”
Thanking The Sponsors
Daniella says that without the help of the major sponsors, especially Saddlebrook, “We could never have put on an event like this. They were wonderful. [Saddlebrook general manager] Jeff Mayers donated the courts and hospitality tents, plus waters for all players, ice, orange juice and fresh fruit. They also provided T-shirts for every player. Serve for Strength split the cost of the shirts.” Other sponsors included Century 21 Molly Nye, José Pomoles from State Farm, and Farina Orthodontics. “Yes! Apples is a year-round sponsor, too,” Daniella says.
Up next for Serve for Strength is an entire weekend at Saddlebrook — Saturday & Sunday, June 6-7.
“Saturday will be another pickleball event and Sunday will be a ‘Swing for Strength’ golf tournament,” she says. “We’re just really trying to get the word out that we are here to help.”
For more information about Serve for Strength or to enter either event in June, visit ServeforStrength.org.
