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Journalism of Courage
UNIONDALE, July 27: Injured Chinese gymnast Sang Lan was able to sit up and had greater use of her shoulders and elbows yesterday morning after spinal fusion surgery on Saturday, doctors said.
The 4-1/2-hour operation was completed at about 0030 hrs IST yesterday and sang8217;s parents visited her at Nassau County Medical Centre that night, they said.
The doctors told a news conference the 17-year-old Sang would begin rehabilitation therapy today but was still considered unlikely to walk again.
8220;She pulled through the operation very well,8221; Dr. Vincent Leone, who performed the operation, said. 8220;This surgery will enhance her motion, but we have to remember that there8217;s a long way to go.8221;
Sang was hurt last Tuesday during vault warmups before the start of the Goodwill Games gymnastics finals. The Chinese national vault champion landed on the back of her head on the mat after making a mistake on a simple warmup vault.
The accident caused a fracture dislocation of the c-6 and c-7 vertebrae at the base ofSang8217;s neck damage that was partly corrected by the surgery.Doctors operated on the front and back of sang8217;s neck, using three titanium plates and several screws to stabilise her spinal column. They also removed bone fragments from the destroyed c-6/c-7 disc and used a bone graft from sang8217;s left hip to repair other damaged areas.
Sang was awake and talking two hours after surgery, when she was listed in critical but stable condition. By yesterday morning she had been taken out of the halo that had been preventing further damage and was wearing a smaller brace that still limited her movement. She also began eating solid food for the first time since the accident.
Sang8217;s parents, who live in Ningbo, China, arrived on Saturday and spent the night at the hospital with their daughter. Leone said the course and location of Sang8217;s rehabilitation would be determined in conjunction with them but for now would involve simple movement to strengthen her muscles. She will also continue on the experimental nerveregeneration drug sygen for approximately another 55 days.
Leone said that he expected sang to regain enough use of her hands and wrists to be able to push a wheelchair but that he still doubted she would walk again. Sang has no use of her legs and no feeling from the middle of her chest down.
Sang8217;s accident received worldwide attention, and the hospital has been flooded with postcards, letters and stuffed animals sent by well wishers. At the news conference, Nassau County executive Thomas Gulotta read from a postcard that urge her to keep your chin up and pray for guidance.8217;
Sang has been a member of the Chinese national team since the age of 11. Her father, Sang Shisheng, is a government housing management officer. Her mother, Chen Xiufeng, is a factory worker.
