Amy Pieters slowly recovering after lengthy coma

Amy Pieters, the Dutch champion, sustained a catastrophic brain injury in a crash during a training camp in Spain six months ago. Ever since, it has been a dramatic situation as he was for a long number of months in a coma, however steadily she makes progress.

Amy has been steadily recovering, according to her father Peter, after being in a coma for three months. Amy Pieters is partly paralyzed on her right side, but she has made steady improvement since waking up from a coma in mid-March. "She is convalescing in Dordrecht, but she is now home on the weekends," he said. "They will bring her on Friday and we will bring her back on Sunday evening. That is very nice now. And that is also good for her, you notice that well. She woke up at a very low level," he told NOS.

"There was very little reaction from her. Very slowly that has improved in recent months. First she had to learn to breathe on her own, then she had to learn to eat and now she actually eats with us. The next step is that she learns to talk. She understands more and more when you ask something. Then she nods yes or no. You also notice more and more that she has her own will again and she occasionally says no. Do you want to eat? No. But despite everything, she is quite optimistic, quite cheerful to deal with," he described.

The family is remaining hopeful but for the time being, Pieters needs help with daily activities and doctors have qualified that every brain injury patient is different. However, for a long the time worst was feared, and every step towards recovery is a win for the Dutch rider.