[Update: Tuesday, April 11]
On March 31, Jimmy Albertson sent us an update regarding his planned recovery following a bad crash at the Daytona Supercross. A spine specialist in Oklahoma City recommended that Albertson have five vertebrae fused. With the help of Road 2 Recovery, Albertson was going to seek out a second opinion.
Today, on his Facebook page, Albertson confirmed that he will undergo surgery to have his vertebrae fused. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Melamed in Los Angeles.
Albertson said that Dr. Melamed was concerned about not only his present condition, but his future. In the post, Jimmy said surgery is schedule for Wednesday morning. You can read the entire post below.
As you all know from the last update, I was looking into other options instead of fusing five vertebrae. After getting three opinions, it confirmed that I had no other choice besides fusing due to the ligament damage along with the severity of the fractures.
My chosen option would be with Dr. Melamed of Disc MD Group in Los Angeles. Dr. Melamed had also agreed to the fusion. He is genuinely concerned not only about my present condition, but also my future condition. He explained to me that I have a 30 degree kyphosis (hunch back in laymen's terms) in the thoracic part of my spine. He went on to explain that by having the rods and fusion without the spinal alignment done will have a terrible effect on me in my quest to get back to living pain free. There are not many surgeons who are willing to do this surgery, because it does involve breaking the spine to correct it. That being said, the possibility of being in better spine health than even before the injury excites me.
It is 5am PST currently and I'm on a plane. I've had a dozen operations done over the years, but this is the first time that I've been scared/nervous about going under, but I know deep down, that this is the right decision.
Road 2 Recovery has been a lifeline for us. Mike and Anita have been there every step of the way. Being able to fly to California and stay in a high end medical facility for a week is something that would have swallowed us in debt. They're truly looking out for my best interest and we can't thank them enough, as well as Archview MX Park for holding a benefit to raise money for R2R on my behalf. Thanks to all for all the well wishes and donations! I also want to thank all my sponsors for standing behind me during these tough times..
None of this would have been possible without the help from my good friend Jeremy Malott. Normally I would have had to sit on a waiting list for months to have the correct surgery, but after Dr. Melamed saw my scans, he knew it was urgent, and fit me in to his busy schedule. Jeremy and I haven't really known each other long at all, but have had some awesome times the past year. I look forward to making more memories after all this!
I will be going in for surgery with my lovely wife Georgia by my side on Wednesday morning, and we will try to keep everyone updated as much as we can.
Many thanks,
Top Jimmy
[update: Friday, March 31]
Jimmy Albertson, who was badly injured in a crash at Daytona, sent an update to Racer X last night regarding his recovery.
In a note written by Jimmy himself, he said that he saw a spine specialist this week in Oklahoma and that he may have to have five vertebrae fused in his back to stabilize his spine.
Albertson said that with the help of Road 2 Recovery, he is seeking a second opinion. As for his racing future, Jimmy isn’t ready to make a decision at this time.
If you wish to help the Albertson family, you can donate via Road 2 Recovery here. Below is the full update from Jimmy.
I wanted to give everyone a quick update on my condition. It’s been almost three weeks since my crash in Daytona and physically I have been feeling stronger, and in less pain every day.
I saw the Spine Specialist in OKC yesterday and didn’t get the update that I was hoping for. I was told that I am going to need to have 5 vertebrae fused in my back, which will included having rods put in to make my spine stable for proper recovery.
This news was quite crushing to me because I have been seeing improvement every day. I guess after years of putting my body through the abuse that comes with racing professional SX and MX, you get use to just dealing with the pain and discomfort to get back to doing what you love. Right now, with the help from some friends and Road 2 Recovery, I’m searching out a second opinion to make sure this is the right step for myself to make a full recovery.
As far as my future in racing hold, I’m trying not to make any decisions. The risk of injury is always something I have accepted my whole career, and I understand that I am very lucky my injuries are not much worse. My goal right now is to make the right steps so I can someday ride without having the risk of injuring my spine being much greater than normal.
I know that some people are probably reading this and thinking, “Why not just give riding up?”. Riding and racing dirt bikes is part of who I am. It has led me to some many great opportunities in my life. Meeting my amazing wife being one of them.
A lot of things will probably unfold this next week and I will make sure to keep everyone up to date on the direction we are planning on going. Georgia and I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts, who has offered their help and support through this process. Road 2 Recovery has been incredible on being a support system for us. I’m not sure how much help we will be needing from them quite yet, but I can assure you that if the help is not needed for my recovery, we are going to be donating our portion back to riders who are less fortunate with their recovery process.
For now, take care and keep the rubber side down.
Top Jimmy
[update: Thursday, March 16]
Jimmy Albertson announced on his Instagram page that he will undergo surgery today (Thursday) to reattach his sternum.
Albertson said that doctors said his spine and lungs are stable enough to undergo surgery, which will allow him to begin rehabilitation on his back.
Road 2 Recovery have set up a fund for Jimmy and his family to help with costs. If you wish to donate, you can do so here. Albertson, who has insurance, said that any money left over from his medical expenses will be put towards a rider that needs the money ASAP. You can read his full update below.
Headed in for surgery this morning to reattach my sternum. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has came to visit and sent me kind/motivating messages this past week. Sorry I have not responded, I really do enjoy reading them. We have been getting good news the last couple days. It looks like my spine and lungs are stable enough to have the proper operation to repair my sternum which is a big deal so I can start rehabilitation on my back. @road2recovery has also stepped up to make this injury easier for us. I have great health insurance and always have, but things like getting a medical flight home were just going to be out of our budget. It was hard for me to accept their help. I know there are other athletes in far worse situations than me. That being said, any money that is left after our medical expenses will be put towards a rider that needs the money ASAP! I hope to have more news by the end of the day to update everyone with
[Update: Wednesday, March 15]
Road 2 Recovery announced yesterday that Jimmy Albertson is still in the ICU at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona, Florida, but is expected to be transferred to a private room any day while he recovers from extensive injuries sustained at Round 10 of Monster Energy Supercross on Saturday. Jimmy’s injuries include: fracture of the manubrium and body of the sternum (posteriorly displaced by 1cm), fractured T5 through T7 vertebrae, compression of the T4 through T6, epidural hematoma at T5 (epidural space is the outermost part of the spinal canal), bilateral patchy lung contusions, and a left metacarpal fracture.
Here is more from the R2R, who have set up a donation page for the Albertson family. If you wish, you can donate here.
Jimmy's surgeons are in the process of coming up with the best plan to address his injuries. As of now, it is looking like he will need one, possible two separate surgeries before he can be transferred home to Oklahoma, via medical air ambulance. His first surgery is scheduled to stabilize his broken sternum; his team of surgeons will put in two plates and screws in the sternum to hold it together. As long as he remains stable the surgery is projected for this Thursday. The second surgery is to address the epidural hematoma that is on the outside of his spinal canal. The surgeons plan to alleviate the pressure by carefully releasing and drawing some blood from the clot. They are currently waiting and assessing the hematoma to decide if and when they will drain it.
Once Jimmy is transferred to a hospital in his hometown, he will under go another surgery to correct and straighten the spine. It is unclear on the timeline of this surgery and will depend a lot on how he his recuperating from his previous surgeries and injuries. As of now his doctors are projecting a rehabilitation program that will take about two to three months and are projecting his total recovery to be up to four months.
This process is going to be a long and hard road that will challenge the strongest of hearts. While Jimmy does have insurance that is helping to cover some of the cost associated with his injury, he will still need to cover a sizable bill. A possible 10-14 day stay in the hospital plus more when he returns home, multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation all adds up. With him not racing and his wife, Georgia, needing to help with his recovery process this is a large sum of money for the privateer family to cover. Road 2 Recovery has built a funding page for Jimmy Albertson's family, friends, and fans to donate to his cause. Should you feel inspired to donate you can do so here, https://road2recovery.com/cause-view/jimmy-albertson/. All donations are tax deductible and will go to help cover all of Jimmy's medical needs. If you are unable, prayers and positive thoughts are always appreciated. You can also leave a positive message on his R2R Funding page for the Albertson family to read.
Jimmy Albertson sustained a number of injuries at round 10 of Monster Energy Supercross in Daytona on Saturday and is still in a local hospital, according to his wife, Georgia.
Albertson returned to racing this weekend after electing to sit out the prior two rounds to focus on his program. In qualifying on Saturday, Albertson had a bad crash and sustained compressions and fractures to some thoracic vertebrae, an epidural hematoma, broken/displaced sternum, clot in his chest, lung contusions, and a broken hand, according to Georgia.
Below is the latest from Georgia.
Tough afternoon yesterday,Jimmy is in ICU right now and doing ok. Broken a few bits and bobs, will update later today when we know more.
— Georgia Lindsay (@Georgia_Lindsay) March 12, 2017
Jimmy's pain is a bit more under control and just waiting to see the docs tomorrow to see the next step. We may end up living in this...
— Georgia Lindsay (@Georgia_Lindsay) March 13, 2017
... hospital for a few days but the docs have been great so far and we're willing to take time and do what is best for him #hotelicu
— Georgia Lindsay (@Georgia_Lindsay) March 13, 2017