Amy Pieters' friend opens on her recovery progress: "She can now walk, cycle on a tricycle and climb stairs independently"

Good news: Amy Pieters can walk independently and cycle again. Her friend Stefan Vreugdenhil indicated this in an interview with the Noordhollands Dagblad. Talking, on the other hand, is not yet possible for Pieters.

The last update on Pieters' health dates from the end of July. Then there was talk of big steps on a physical level, but on a mental level things went a bit less smoothly. Now her friend has explained a bit more: "On the one hand, of course, we say: it's going well. Based on the doctors' predictions we got at the start, we never would have thought this."

Read also

Startlist, Start Times & Order Glasgow World Championships Women's Time-Trial

"The question was whether she would ever wake up. So when you see what she can do, that's very nice," says Vreugdenhil. "She can now walk, cycle on a tricycle and climb stairs independently. When people see Amy, they often think based on that that she's doing really well."

Talking is not possible for Pieters at the moment. This has to do with a language disorder that is the result of non-congenital brain injury. Language comprehension is also very difficult for the Dutch. This sometimes leads to difficult situations. "She doesn't understand what's going on. That can sometimes be nice for her, because she lives in the moment. She can therefore enjoy the little things. But it's very twofold. Now she doesn't understand why she has to train or rehabilitate. That's why sometimes she doesn't want to. We try to explain that, but half an hour later she has lost it again."

Read also

VIDEO: Mathieu van der Poel preparing for XCO World Championships

Mathieu van der Poel pulls out of MTB Short Track after road race crash - "After the finish I immediately noticed that I had hurt myself"