American Olympic icon Lindsey Vonn revealed on Monday that she came dangerously close to losing her left leg and required a blood transfusion after a serious incident at the Winter Olympics.
In a video she shared on Instagram, Vonn reflected on the past two weeks, describing them as “the most extreme, painful, and difficult injury I have ever encountered.” She expressed her gratitude to the doctors who performed surgery on her foot.
Vonn detailed her injury, stating, “I had a compound fracture of my tibia. The femoral head was also fractured, along with the tibial plateau—it was all falling apart. The complications arose from compartment syndrome, where trauma causes blood to clot, essentially crushing everything in that area. It affects muscles, nerves, and tendons.”
She credited Dr. Tom Hackett with saving her leg from amputation, explaining that he performed a fasciotomy, which involved slicing open both sides of her leg to relieve pressure and allow blood flow.
Vonn mentioned losing a significant amount of blood during surgery and needing a transfusion. “The six-hour operation for the reconstruction went amazingly well. I’m fortunate and grateful to him. My recovery stayed a bit longer than anticipated because my hemoglobin was quite low from the surgeries, and I was really struggling with pain. The transfusion helped me a lot. Now, I’m finally discharged from the hospital,” she shared.
She hopes to transition from a wheelchair to crutches soon but anticipates relying on crutches for at least two months. In a social media post caption, she noted, “It will be a long journey, but we will get there. At least I can leave the hospital.” Vonn suffered her fall during the women’s alpine ski downhill event and had previously dealt with a torn anterior cruciate ligament while persisting for a medal chance.
Unfortunately, her injuries required her to be airlifted from the mountain and involved multiple surgeries before she could return home.
