According to the USA Today, former Olympic gold medalist Amy Van Dyken Rouen has been released from the hospital in Denver today. Her release comes just over two months after she suffered a spinal cord injury in an ATV accident in Arizona.
Van Dyken is a six-time Olympic gold medalist, including the 50 free and 100 fly races individually in front of a home crowd in Atlanta in 1996. In early June, she was injured while riding an ATV in Arizona with her husband Tom Rouen when her vehicle struck a curb. The resulting impact “severed her spine” at the T11 verebrae, according to a letter from her family obtained by the Associated Press.
Van Dyken was airlifted from Arizona to the Craig Hospital in Denver: one of the top spinal injury care centers in the world.
Van Dyken was sporting a hat with a purple skull on it and a wheelchair with matching skulls etched into it as she left the hospital. The picture above is from her Instagram, where she has become an inspiration to many for the positive attitude she’s maintained throughout her hospitalization.
In addition to her swimming career, Van Dyken served as a sideline reporter for multiple NFL teams, had a morning radio show in Phoenix, and was the co-host of Fox Sports Radio’s Fox Sports Tonight.
she is so inspiring. i think this is what a real champion looks like. i (along with so many others) wish her continued success. go amy!
My swimming kids and I were exposed through our YOTA swim team to David Denniston and the many powerful stories about these kids and of course kids in our program. So to know that Amy would be a part of this positive movement and that she is being released into her new life is just very motivating. Thanks to people like Amy, the people at Craig Hospital, the parents and supportive friends. A setback looks like a set up for a new opportunity!
Praying for your recovery and that something good will come of this. You have so much to offer so many people, Amy.