Wearing a cast used to mean a summer of no fun. Now, waterproof casts are on the market

(FOX 2) - A 6-year-old boy broke his leg on a trampoline in the middle of July, just in time to put a damper on summer fun.

Used to be if you had a cast on a broken bone, you couldn't really enjoy summer at the pool, lake or beach. But now you can take that cast for a swim.

"Previously we've had cast that have a padding underneath that can't get wet," said Dr. Christopher Minnock at the Children's Hospital of Michigan. "If it does, it takes a couple days to dry out and it gets kind of moldy and mildew and can lead to skin problems including infection." 

But luckily for Jacob Kosmas, waterproof casts are now a reality - which means he didn't have to sit on the sidelines. 

"Because, I was swimming in the lake. It was so fun," he told us. 

It's been about a month now and Jacob is back at Children's Hospital of Michigan to get his cast cut off. 

From the outside the cast looks the same, but it's this cotton under the fiberglass shell that's actually synthetic, which means it's dries within 30 minutes. Think of your dry fit clothes, same idea. 

But not everyone can have this kind of cast. 

"Waterproof casts aren't for everybody," Minnock said. "So if you've had surgery and have incisions or pins underneath the cast, that's something we can't get wet just because that area can get infected."  

But for Jacob and his family, this cast was a game changer. 

"We were still able to go up north, we were still able to go to friend's houses and swim in the pool and it really just allowed our summer to continue on as if nothing was wrong," said Jacob's mom Jennifer Kosmas.

Waterproof cast liners are for all ages and will be available through September, just in time to enjoy those last summer days.