Amy Van Dyken celebrated gold in the 50-meter freestyle at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. (David Longstreath / AP)
The next phase of Amy Van Dyken-Rouen’s recovery from a spinal-cord injury she suffered in an ATV accident June 6 has begun.
The 41-year-old former Olympic swimmer, who lives in Arizona and had been hospitalized in Scottsdale since having surgery, is being transferred on Wednesday to Craig Hospital, the Denver facility that specializes in spinal-cord injuries. Van Dyken-Rouen has been posting daily updates to Twitter and Instagram and shared a photo of her scar on Tuesday.
Van Dyken-Rouen, who has had no feeling in her legs and feet since the crash, was the first American woman to win four gold medals in one Games at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She won two more in Sydney. Before flying to Colorado, she recorded a message that was shown on the “Today” show.
“I just want to thank you guys and everyone who watches the ‘Today’ show for all of your support, all of your prayers and your positive vibes,” she said. “It’s definitely helping.”
After spending most of her career in traditional print sports journalism, Cindy began blogging and tweeting, first as NFL/Redskins editor, and, since August 2010, at The Early Lead. She also is the social media editor for Sports.