Le Pays De France - Pieters shows signs of consciousness after four months in coma

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Pieters shows signs of consciousness after four months in coma
Pieters shows signs of consciousness after four months in coma / Photo: © ANP/AFP

Pieters shows signs of consciousness after four months in coma

Following four months in a coma after suffering brain damage in a crash, Dutch cyclist Amy Pieters has "consciousness now" her team SD Worx said on Thursday.

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"The condition of Amy Pieters has changed. There is consciousness. This means that she can communicate slightly non-verbally. Amy recognizes people, understands what is being said," said the statement.

"Doctors cannot yet say what residual symptoms and remaining abilities Amy Pieters will have as a result of the brain injury," it added.

Pieters fell at the end of December during a training camp in Calpe suffering severe brain damage. After emergency surgery in Alicante, she was taken back to a hospital in the Netherlands for rehabilitation.

"Since mid February Amy Pieters has been following a specialized intensive neurorehabilitation programme," said the SD Worx statement

Pieters was a world champion both on the road, as part of the six-rider Dutch team winning the mixed relay in 2019, and on the track, where she took the madison three times in partnership with Kirsten Wild

(P.Toussaint--LPdF)