Australian BMX star and dual Olympian Sam Willoughby remains without feeling below his chest after a serious training crash which left him with spinal damage two weeks ago.
Willoughby’s parents, Colin and Sharon, and fiancé Alise Post have released more details of the serious injuries the Olympic silver medallist suffered in the training accident at the Chula Vista track, near San Diego, on September 10.
"At this stage, Sam still has no movement from his chest down but has regained use of his arms and is slowly regaining some sensation in his legs," they said in a statement released by Cycling Australia.
“With the outpouring of support and interest in Sam’s situation, we thank you for your patience in awaiting this more detailed update on Sam’s recent crash. With the type of accident Sam had, there are a lot of unknowns that had to be addressed before the doctors could give us a better idea of the extent of Sam’s injuries.”
Willoughby was airlifted to hospital after the crash and operated on that evening due to sustaining fractures in his C6 and C7 vertebrae which severely compressed his spinal cord and left him with no movement below his chest. The operation involved removing his C6 vertebrae, replacing it with a titanium cage, and fusing his C5-C7 vertebrae with a plate and 4 screws. The family said the surgery was successful in decompressing his spinal cord and aligning his vertebrae.
“At this stage, Sam still has no movement from his chest down but has regained use of his arms and is slowly regaining some sensation in his legs. Sam's next step is to begin a long road of recovery at a rehabilitation centre and while the details are still to be finalised, at this stage it is expected that Sam will be transported to a USA based rehabilitation centre in the next few days.”
With a huge outpouring of support from friends, family, fans and supporters, the family has set up a portal: www.road2recovery.com/strengthfor91 where you can offer support, both through financial assistance and messages for Sam, and can also keep up to date with Sam's progress. Any donation, great or small, and any message of support will assist in Sam remaining strong throughout his road to recovery.
#strengthfor91
