3 March 2023

Orthopaedic surgeon takes on Charity skydive

Farokh Wadia is an orthopaedic surgeon at Southampton Children’s Hospital. This March, he is taking on a 10,000 foot skydive in support of his patients.

I live in Southampton and have worked at University Hospital Southampton for three years after specialising as a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon.

Every day is so different which is what I love about my job!

I do all kinds of surgery related to children’s bones and joints, including fixing fractures. My special interest is in the knee and upper limbs.

I do a lot of knee surgeries for children and adolescents’ patellar instability, meniscus injury, and cartilage injury. Working on the upper limbs, specifically the hands, is so complex so often this surgery will be done in partnership with the plastic surgeons.

While some days I will spend my entire day operating on patients, others are spent in clinics where I see anywhere between 10 and 40 patients depending on whether it’s a fracture as a result of trauma or specific chronic illnesses.

Additionally, I do on-call shifts over nights and weekends, conduct ward rounds, teach registrars and fellows, and do research!

Healthcare changes all the time, so it is essential that I do a lot of reading relating to my specialty so I can keep up to date with the latest research and procedures happening worldwide.

Choosing to skydive from 10,000 feet:

Skydiving is something that has been on my bucket list for a long time!

I have a moderate fear of heights, and as I am not getting any younger, I thought that I needed to do it now or it will never happen!

I chose to support Southampton Hospitals Charity so I can give back to my patients. While I have done paragliding before, I have never done skydiving! It is only a few months away now, and I am looking forward to it.”

Farokh - surgeon skydiver

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