Amy Pieters showing signs of consciousness and giving signs of non-verbal communication after a crash while training in December in Calpe, Spain.
Pieters suffered a severe brain injury as a result of the crash and had been unconscious since the incident, but according to a recent SD Worx official medical update released on Thursday, her condition has now changed.
“The condition of Amy Pieters has changed. There is consciousness. This means that she can communicate slightly non-verbally. Amy recognizes people, understands what is being said and is able to carry out more and more assignments,” SD Worx wrote in a medical update.
“Doctors cannot yet say what residual symptoms and remaining abilities Amy Pieters will have as a result of the brain injury.”
Pieters, the Dutch Champion, was training with the national track team on December 23 in Spain when she suffered a crash and lost consciousness.
She was airlifted to hospital in Alicante where doctors performed surgery to relieve pressure on her brain and placed her in a medically-induced coma.
She was then transported by airplane from Spain to hospital in the Netherlands by a specialist team of Eurocross on January 6. At that time, the SD Worx confirmed that she was breathing independently, the sedation had been phased out, and that her situation was stable but unchanged.
SD Worx confirmed, at the end of January, that Pieters has been transferred from the Intensive Care Unit to an inpatient unit to continue her treatment and recovery under the care of neurosurgeon and neurotrauma specialist Professor Wilco Peul.
“Since mid-February Amy Pieters has been following a specialized intensive neurorehabilitation programme at one of the member institutions of the EENnacoma network. This institution is working towards a suitable continuation of the rehabilitation process,” SD Worx wrote in a medical update.
“The family appreciates the enormous sympathy shown, but also asks everyone to respect the privacy of those involved.”
