Graham Lee, the hugely popular jockey who suffered life-changing injuries in a fall last week, has undergone surgery at the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle.
The Grand National and Group 1-winning rider was unseated from Ben Macdui at the start of an all-weather handicap at Newcastle on Friday, suffering injuries that saw him taken to hospital and admitted to an intensive care unit.
He has since been identified as having an unstable cervical fracture causing damage to his spinal cord, and the racing world has rallied round the rider and his family.
The Injured Jockeys Fund have been heavily involved in those efforts, and on Wednesday afternoon released an update which read, “Jockey Graham Lee had surgery yesterday at the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle to stabilise the fractures in his cervical spine and further protect his spinal cord.
“He also had a tracheostomy performed to allow him to be more comfortable and improve communication. Whilst Graham has recovered from the surgery well, the extent of his long-term recovery remains uncertain.”
The statement added, “Graham's family would like to thank everyone for their best wishes and for their support of the JustGiving page set up by Graham's 18-year-old daughter Amy, who says, 'I am personally writing down each and every message and donation that comes through and I share all of these with dad. To be honest it's simply overwhelming and we can't believe that so many people are thinking of us. I wish I could explain how much of a difference it will make to dad's recovery knowing that he has your support–thank you from the bottom of my heart'.”
The JustGiving page created by Amy Lee is now approaching £80,000 in donations that will go to the IJF.
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