Paralysed gymnast Jesher Yau says ‘I believe I can walk again’ after horrific fall in routine practice
- The 29-year-old former Hong Kong gymnast says he feels ‘a bit of sensation’ in his legs
- More than half of US$400,000 target raised for his rehabilitation expenses
Paralysed gymnast Jesher Yau Tsz-fung, who suffered horrific spinal injuries in a fall during practice in January, believes he can walk again.
Talking to the Hong Kong media since his fall in the United States on January 14, the 29-year-old former member of the Hong Kong gymnastics team and one-time Olympic hopeful said only time will tell if he can make a full recovery, but he remains optimistic of his prognosis.
He injured his spinal cord while working as a coach at the Champions Gymnastics Academy in Kansas City, Missouri.
“At first, the doctors said that my spinal cord was severed and that I would not walk again and that I wouldn’t be able to go to the bathroom normally,” Yau told Apple Daily.
“But after I had my [first] surgery, I was told my spine and C6 and C7 vertebrae were [only] fractured but not severed so that has given me hope. It depends on my rehabilitation,” he said.