Tony Gardea of Next Level Management sent this out to the industry last night....
It’s been over five weeks since Ernesto’s terrible crash and I wanted
to send along another note to update everyone on his condition. He was
transported yesterday (Tues.) to Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo.,
where he will begin an extensive rehabilitation program. Craig is
considered one of the best spinal cord injury facilities in the world
and has an experienced staff of doctors and therapists who will give
Ernesto the support and drive to fight through the very tough road
ahead.
He received excellent treatment at Riverside County Regional and made
many, many friends. From neurosurgeons to nurses to therapists,
Ernesto’s upbeat personality, even through all of the tough times, was
very contagious and he won over many in the intensive care unit. Those
who visited Ernesto over the past few weeks can attest to this,
especially when the “two person limit” in the room was constantly
expanded to accommodate the long list of family, friends, and industry
acquaintances who stopped in to visit.
Ernesto is still on a ventilator but his breathing has been getting
stronger over the last few days and everyone (doctors included) fully
expects his breathing to return to normal. He has good movement in his
arms and wrists, with slight movement in his fingers that seems to be
improving. He still has no feeling or movement from his chest down.
However, through healing, hard work, and prayer, he can regain that
during his stay at Craig.
He continues to receive cards and letters from the thousands of fans
who care so deeply for him. He enjoys having the cards read to him and
finds inspiration from them. He personally asked me to thank everyone
for their support and to let them know he us up for this fight and
without them it would be tough to win.
I’ll continue to keep you updated as he continues on this journey. Oh
yeah, continue to send letters and cards and encourage others to do the
same.
Racer X - Motocross & Supercross News
