This should be the most relaxing moment.
Early last year, Kate Johnson and her husband, Sean, planned a 10-day ski vacation in Japan. They thought this would be their last big trip for a while since they were trying to conceive.
A few weeks before boarding the flight, the Hoboken couple found out they were pregnant.
Kate Johnson got pregnant with baby Brody last year and had a complicated pregnancy. She is seen here with her husband Sean. NYU Langone Health Center
“I weighed the options of being able to ski and figured that early in the pregnancy, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal,” Johnson, 38, told The Washington Post. “Little did I know how it was going to turn out.”
Spoiler alert: It goes downhill quickly. A harrowing fall while skiing in Japan’s backcountry further complicated Johnson’s pregnancy and highlighted how difficult it is to take health concerns in pregnant women seriously.
High hopes for the slopes
Johnson fell on his second day of skiing in the Nagano region, home of the 1998 Winter Olympics. She and Sean took guided tours up and down the mountain and through nearby valleys.
“The second time I fell, I was like grabbing the edge. I was going a little too fast and I kind of fell backwards,” recalls the digital retail sales expert.
“When that happened, I heard a pop,” she continued. “I don’t fall often, so I didn’t really know what was going on.”
Johnson visited a number of doctors before seeing Dr. Abigail Campbell, co-director of NYU Langone’s Center for Women’s Sports Medicine. NYU Langone Health Center
Johnson started skiing at age 4, trying to figure out her bearings. When she put her boots back on, she was surprised to hear a “huge cracking sound” from her right knee.
Unfortunately, she fell into an avalanche zone, so a helicopter dramatically rescued her.
Johnson landed at a nearby hospital, where doctors suspected a patellar tendon injury but did not order an MRI. As a precaution, many doctors avoid MRIs during the first trimester, although there is no evidence of harmful effects on the fetus.
Johnson was given a “huge brace” and crutches to get through the remainder of her dream vacation.
When she returned to the United States, the real nightmare began.
a series of bad luck
Back home in New Jersey, she struggled to find a doctor who could address the problem.
She had to jump through hoops to get an MRI, which revealed a complete rupture of her ACL and a torn meniscus, the cartilage pad in the knee that absorbs shock and provides stability.
Most of the 15 to 20 doctors she contacted advised her to wait until after delivery to have surgery, but Johnson was ready to move on.
“[I] Having a history of depression, anxiety and eating disorders, exercise is very important to me [for] Regulate yourself,” she explains.
Both Campbell and Johnson were pregnant when Campbell performed the surgery on Johnson. NYU Langone Health Center
She eventually found Dr. Abigail Campbell, co-director of NYU Langone’s Center for Women’s Sports Medicine.
While some surgeons may postpone non-urgent surgery on pregnant women because of the potential risks of anesthesia, Campbell is willing to perform the procedure.
“Like many things during pregnancy, [anesthesia] There is little data on this, so when there is uncertainty, people assume it may not be safe during pregnancy, Campbell told The Washington Post.
“However, over the past few years, several studies have emerged in the orthopedic trauma literature regarding safe practices and safe outcomes for surgery (orthopedic injuries) in pregnant women.”
Cutting-edge care inside
Johnson’s medical team decided to have surgery when she was about 16 weeks old.
“The second trimester is the first choice for elective surgery in pregnant patients because the risk of spontaneous abortion (which is higher in the first trimester) and the risk of preterm birth (which is higher in the third trimester) are confounded,” Campbell noted.
The surgery required an X-ray, which confirmed that Johnson had actually torn the other meniscus in her right knee because her knee was so unstable.
The ACL surgery went well, and Johnson gave birth to Brody in October 2025. NYU Langone Health
To take the photo, both Campbell and Johnson had to wear two layers of lead aprons to protect the fetus from radiation.
Campbell herself was pregnant with a girl at the time.
“Typically, surgeons wear a lead apron during surgery,” Campbell said. “In my case, wearing two layers of lead just makes me hot during the procedure, but I have to do it all the time! I’m used to it.”
Johnson received spinal anesthesia for ACL reconstruction and meniscal repair. The entire process lasted more than 90 minutes, during which time Johnson’s children were monitored to make sure he was okay.
After the surgery, Johnson developed scar tissue and had to deal with restless legs syndrome for a few nights, but her recovery went “surprisingly” smoothly. This was good news because she avoided painkillers throughout her pregnancy.
Johnson gave birth to son Brody on October 3, who weighed a healthy 6 pounds, 8 ounces.
Find your footing again
When she gave birth, Johnson was walking, squatting and taking prenatal sculpting classes every day. Physical therapy helped her get back on track.
“It’s just a matter of strengthening the muscles that have atrophied from not using the knees,” Johnson said.
The Johnsons hope to hit the slopes soon. NYU Langone Health Center
Campbell gave birth to daughter Louise in July.
She’s proud of Johnson’s recovery and her insistence on listening to various medical opinions.
“Really elective surgery, such as cosmetic surgery, is not recommended, but in this case, waiting could lead to long-term irreversible joint damage and the benefits outweigh the risks,” Campbell said of surgery during pregnancy.
The whole unfortunate incident didn’t make Johnson daunted by skiing.
“I’m really lucky that the snow this year has been so horrible that I’m not scared, but I’m already thinking about next year – when we can get out, when we can have Brody ski,” she admitted.
