Alex Zanardi - Para-Olympian!

[durbster]

The fact he's even alive after headbutting a moving truck

What an incredible force of nature that man is.

I saw him in person at Silverstone when he was in F1 with Williams (?) before his big accident. It was just a little Q&A to about 30 people and I remember he came across as a really nice bloke.

[Duke]

Alex Zanardi has undergone a second round of neurosurgery and remains in a medically-induced coma in an Italian hospital after sustaining severe injuries in a hand cycling accident just under two weeks ago.
Zanardi underwent a CT scan on Monday that, according to the Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital, revealed “an evolution of the patient’s state which made it necessary to resort to a second neurosurgery”. The procedure lasted two-and-a-half hours, after which he was returned to intensive care. Twenty-four hours after the surgery, the hospital issued an update reporting that while his condition is stable, his neurological status remains serious. Until further developments warrant otherwise, no other medical updates are planned.

[Duke]

Alex Zanardi underwent five-hour facial reconstruction surgery on Monday as part of ongoing treatment for serious injuries sustained in a hand cycling accident last month.

The surgery was Zanardi’s third since he lost control of his hand bike on a descent during a race and collided with a truck in Pienze on June 19. In addition to rebuilding his face, the surgery aimed to stabilize other injuries, and pave the way for a continuation of a treatment plan that includes specialists from several medical disciplines.

“The fractures were complex,” said Dr. Paolo Gennaro, head of maxillofacial surgery at the Santa Maria alle Scotte Hospital in Siena. “This required careful programming that made use of computerized technologies, digital and three-dimensional, made to measure for the patient. The complexity of the case was rather singular, even if it is a type of fracture that we routinely face in our center.”

After the operation, Zanardi was returned to the hospital’s intensive care unit, where he remains in an induced coma. His reported condition of stable on the cardio-respiratory and metabolic front, and severe from the neurological standpoint, remains unchanged from previous updates issued by the facility

[Duke]

Doctors have began the process of bringing Alex Zanardi out of an induced coma as part of ongoing treatment for injuries sustained in a hand cycling accident in June.

The two-time CART champion and four-time Paralympic gold medalist has been under medical sedation since suffering serious head and facial injuries in a collision with a truck near the Tuscan town of Siena during a race on June 19. He has undergone a series of surgical procedures since.

“The health management, in agreement with the family, reports that the progressive reduction of sedo-analgesia has been started,” read a translation of a bulletin issued by the Siena University Hospital on Thursday.


“Following the reduction of sedation, it will take a few days for further evaluations on the patient by the multidisciplinary team that takes care of the athlete to allow any continuation of his therapeutic and rehabilitative path.

“Currently, the cardio-respiratory and metabolic parameters remain stable, the neurological picture remains serious and the prognosis remains confidential. Further information on Alex Zanardi’s health condition will be released next week in agreement with the family.”

[Duke]

After being brought out of his medically-induced coma, Alex Zanardi has been moved to a rehabilitation center in Italy to continue his recovery from severe head injuries suffered last month.

The two-time CART champion and four-time Paralympic gold medalist was injured on June 19 while competing in a hand cycle event after colliding with a truck. He underwent three operations for facial and head injuries and was put into a coma for more than a month before being awakened last week.
Zanardi’s neurological condition has now improved to the point that has allowed him to be discharged to a specialized rehabilitation center.

"Our professionals remain at the disposal of this extraordinary person and his family for the further stages of clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic development,” said Valtere Giovannini, general manager of the company that runs the Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital.

The athlete spent over a month in our hospital: he underwent three delicate surgeries and showed a path of stability of his clinical conditions and vital parameters that allowed the reduction and suspension of sedation, and the consequent possibility of to be transferred to a facility for the necessary neuro-rehabilitation.”

[w00dsy]

[Duke]

This is not good.

Italian auto racing champion and Paralympic gold medalist Alex Zanardi was moved back into an intensive care unit in an Italian hospital Friday, three days after he was transferred to a neurological rehabilitation center. Zanardi’s move to the ICU at the San Raffaelle hospital in Milan was made due to “unstable clinical conditions,” according to a statement issued by Claudio Zanon, health director of the Valduce Hospital that runs the rehabilitation center where Zanardi was staying. Zanon added that “no further information on the case will be released.

[Duke]

Alex Zanardi has been showing signs of “significant clinical improvements” and has been moved to semi-intensive care, according to the latest update released by the hospital where he has been receiving treatment from a serious handbike accident two months ago.

The two-time CART champion and multiple Paralympic medalist suffered severe head and facial injuries when he collided with a truck during a handbike race near Siena in June. He has since undergone several surgical procedures and moved between a number of medical institutions, which briefly included a discharge to a rehabilitation center before his condition deteriorated and necessitated a return to intensive car.

According to the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, the 53-year-old is again showing signs of progress.

“After a period during which he was subjected to intensive care following hospitalization on 24 July, the patient responded with significant clinical improvements,” it said. “For this reason, he is currently assisted and treated with semi-intensive care at the Neuroreanimation Unit, directed by Professor Luigi Beretta.”

[Duke]

One year after Alex Zanardi’s crash and ensuing head trauma in an Italian hand bike competition, his wife Daniela shared an update on the CART IndyCar Series and Paralympian’s recovery progress.

“One year after the accident, Alex’s condition is essentially stable,” she said. “He is currently in a special clinic, where he is undergoing a rehabilitation program. This includes multimodal and pharmacological stimulations under the guidance of doctors, physiotherapists, neuropsychologists and speech therapists to try to facilitate his recovery.

“We have received so many best wishes for his recovery, and I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you, on behalf of Alex, for every single message. Following consultations with the doctors, now appears to be an appropriate time to offer this small insight into Alex’s recovery process with this interview.

“I would like to tell all those people who are thinking of and praying for Alex that he is fighting — as he always has done. The affection we have received from friends, fans, acquaintances, athletes and those involved in motorsport over the past year has been nothing short of touching and overwhelming and has been of enormous support for us in dealing with all this. However, a very special thank you goes to the medical personnel.”
Zanardi continues to face a number of daily challenges.

“It has been a very complex process that has required more neurosurgery and been characterized by a number of setbacks,” she said. “Alex is in a stable condition, which means he is able to undergo training programs for both his brain and his body. He can communicate with us, but he is still unable to speak. After a long time in a coma, the vocal cords must regain their elasticity. This is only possible through practice and therapy. He still has a lot of strength in his arms and hands, and is training intensively on the equipment.”
The next stage of Zanardi’s recovery will see the beloved Italian head home, but there’s no timeline for that move.

“It is certainly another huge challenge,” she continued. “It is a very long journey and at the moment no predictions are made on when he will be able to return home. We put all our energy in Alex’s recovery. We appreciate everyone’s understanding that we will leave it at that for the moment.”

[nutty]

Wow 1 year.. Couldnt imagine how tough that would be on anyone, glad to see him fighting

[Duke]

I'd lost track of how Alex was going, not sure if he will ever be back to how he was before this latest incident especially after reading this.
Very Sad!!!

Zanardi released from hospital 18 months after paracycling crash

Nearly a year and a half after suffering a traumatic brain injury following a paracycling accident, racing champion and Paralympic gold medalist Alessandro Zanardi has been moved from a specialized rehabilitation facility to continue the process from home in his native Italy.

“The recovery continues to be a long process,” Zanardi’s wife Daniella said in a communication distributed by BMW. “The rehabilitation program led by doctors, physiotherapists, neuropsychologists and speech therapists has enabled steady progress. Of course, setbacks are there and can still occur. Sometimes you also have to make two steps back in order to make one step forward. But Alex proves again and again that he is a real fighter."

Despite the positive news, Zanardi’s ability to make a full recovery is not yet known.