I’m sure I’m not the only person who has been anxiously awaiting news on how Karen O’Connor is doing since surgery (after her fall at Morven), so I’m pleased to be able to bring you a brief progress report from Max Corcoran. Karen came through the procedure well, and is expected to go home from the hospital tomorrow (Friday) which as you can imagine, will be a very welcome relief. Max told me Karen is almost back to where she was before the operation, getting up very slowly and carefully, but that she now “has a lot of hardware in her back; it’s going to be a long, tough road to recovery but if anyone can do it, Karen can.”
The surgeons watched footage of the fall at Morven Park (courtesy of Buzzterbrown, but which will remain private as according to Max it’s fairly horrific to see) and all agreed that Karen’s Point Two air vest was a help in this case – as far as they are concerned they think it definitely helped keep her spine straight and aligned at the point of impact, and they’re surprised she didn’t break her neck, they think thanks to the air vest. Due to the severity of the fall the broken back was almost inevitable, but Max told me the doctors were of an opinion that her Point Two saved her from much more severe trauma.
Meanwhile the mass exodus of the horses south to Ocala has already begun with the first wave going via Chattahoochee Hills, and Max is planning on taking the rig down on Saturday (weather permitting) with an overnight stopover en route at Will Faudree’s to give her and the horses a break. Max also added that Veronica is completely back to herself, and has been enjoying some time in the field. Karen had always planned to spend Thanksgiving at home in Virginia with friends and family, and hopes to migrate to Florida shortly afterwards, pending, of course, the approval of her doctors. Eventing Nation wishes Karen a safe and successful recuperation, and we look forward to speaking to her in person and bringing you more details of her recovery soon. Safe journey to Max, and thank you as always for the updates, and thank you for reading and all your good wishes. Go OCET and Go Eventing!
