Bellator veteran Cris Lencioni took his first steps with the help of physical therapists less than a month after suffering cardiac arrest during a training session.
Lencioni, 28, was preparing for his highly anticipated return to the cage on Aug. 11 when he suddenly collapsed while doing a jiu-jitsu drill. His teammates immediately called EMTs who arrived within minutes and successfully got Lencioni to the hospital for treatment.
“The gym athletes were amazing and they immediately called 911 and did their best to attend to his needs until the paramedics arrived,” his wife, Marca Lencione, writes. Instagram. “We are currently in another country. He has been under the care of excellent doctors with me and a lot of his family at his side.
Since then, Lencioni has been struggling his way back, showing signs of improving cognitive function, including laughing at jokes and trying to communicate despite a tracheostomy that requires a valve to speak. MMA fighting He posted a video to Twitter showing Lencioni taking steps with the help of physical therapists less than a month after his health scare.
“He’s making really fast progress,” she said. “It is sheer will and determination.”
Cris Lencioni no longer needed to be transferred to a long-term care facility
After Chris Lencione’s heart attack on June 8, doctors found brain damage from a lack of oxygen, leading them to believe that a return to normal life might be out of the question. Initially, doctors wanted to transfer him to a long-term facility in Idaho, but after seeing his progress over the past few weeks, they now plan to install a pacemaker and defibrillator to insure against any future heart problems, Lencioni’s wife said.
“He still has some time until he’s ready to leave, and we’re still looking at alternative treatment options,” she said. “Drop [long-term acute care hospital] Center after seeing how fast it is progressing. But it was the same with the pacemaker. At one point, they didn’t do it for him, because they weren’t sure of his epistemological place. But he’s young, and he’s doing really well now, so the tone has changed.”
Doctors believe Cris Lencioni may be suffering from Long QT syndrome, a potentially fatal heart rhythm disorder, which is not reported during a routine EKG.
a GoFundMe It was created for Cris Lencioni and he has raised more than $60,000 to help with mounting medical bills, which his wife said is already more than $300,000.