The family of injured jockey Kristy Bennett have provided an update, revealing she has woken up after sustaining critical injuries in a fall on the Gold Coast earlier this month.
Bennett suffered a brain injury in the fall during trials.
Her sister, Bella, provided an update to Facebook on Monday.
‘’Big news: She’s awake. Her eyes have been open most of today for the first time since the accident,’’ Bella posted.
‘’We are seeing: We’re observing her reacting to discomfort by pulling at her feeding tube and neck brace. While she hasn’t yet followed commands, she appears agitated when we stop her. It’s wonderful that she’s responding to her body. Additionally, she reaches for her dog Gus’s picture.’’
Bella also posted that Kristy will have ongoing health battles as she undergoes rehab.
‘’Medical: She has a severe TBI. Doctors say the next 18 months of rehab will show us where her baseline is. What this means is she will have severe disabilities; we are unsure of the extent at this time.
‘’She also has two spinal fractures and a torn ligament in her neck, but the team is confident she’ll walk again with lots of physio.
‘’She currently has a tracheostomy. We are confident that it can be taken out next week as she is breathing and coughing on her own.
‘’What’s next: Day by day. Rest, neuro rehab, and then physio.
‘’That’s the only update we have at this time.’’
