19th August
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https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/arti ... ver-speechAlex Zanardi's wife, Daniela, has revealed that he still faces a "huge challenge" to recover from the injuries suffered in a handcycle accident last year
“He can communicate with us, but he is still unable to speak,” said Daniela in the interview published by BMW, which employs Zanardi as a brand ambassador. “After a long time in a coma, the vocal cords must regain their elasticity. This is only possible through practice and therapy.
“It has been a very complex process that has required more neurosurgery and been characterised by a number of setbacks. Alex is in a stable condition, which means he is able to undergo training programmes for both his brain and his body.
“He still has a lot of strength in his arms and hands, and is training intensively on the equipment.”
Speaking about her expectations of the future, Daniela said: “It is certainly another huge challenge. 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.”
Let’s hope you’re right. As someone that worked with people with brain injuries, “being able to communicate” and “not terrible brain damage” isn’t the same.Just_a_fan wrote: ↑01 Jul 2021, 16:45Presumably being able to communicate indicates he's not terribly brain damaged. Hopefully he can get back to some semblance of his previous life.
Sorry, I meant "not a human vegetable" but didn't want to be quite so blunt. No doubt there is a lot of damage but hopefully he can recover to have a reasonable quality of life.Jolle wrote: ↑01 Jul 2021, 17:24Let’s hope you’re right. As someone that worked with people with brain injuries, “being able to communicate” and “not terrible brain damage” isn’t the same.Just_a_fan wrote: ↑01 Jul 2021, 16:45Presumably being able to communicate indicates he's not terribly brain damaged. Hopefully he can get back to some semblance of his previous life.
https://www.motorsport.com/general/news ... t/6927379/Zanardi leaves hospital 18 months after handbike accident
Dec 20, 2021, 11:23 AM
IndyCar champion and Paralympic hero Alex Zanardi has finally left hospital 18 months on from the handbike accident that left him with serious head and facial injuries.
In an interview with BMW, his wife Daniela provided the first update on her husband's condition since July, saying that Zanardi had left hospital "a few weeks ago" to continue his recovery at home.
“The recovery continues to be a long process," she said. "The rehabilitation programme 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.
"An important step was that Alex was able to leave hospital a few weeks ago and is back at home with us now. We had to wait very long for this and are very happy that it was possible now, even if there are still temporary stays in special clinics planned for the future to carry out special rehabilitation measures on site.”
Zanardi has made "a lot of progress" in terms of his condition and in particular his arm strength, Daniela said, which has enabled him to spend most of his time in his wheelchair rather than in bed.
