It’s roughly 19 months since Amy Pieters crashed during a training ride with the Dutch national track team in Spain and was placed in an induced coma. Pieters’ recovery has been long and slow since then – it wasn’t until April 2022 that she regained consciousness, and not until October 2022 that she was able to take her first steps. Throughout her rehabilitation, Pieters’ future prospects have been unclear.
Now, Pieters’ support team has published an update on the 32-year-old’s condition, again pointing to her uncertain future.
In a post on Pieters’ website, her team explains that the former road and track star is still unable to speak and that she has a very short memory.
“She listens carefully when we tell her what happened,” the post reads. “Then when we come back to this later in the day, she doesn’t know what it’s about. Amy doesn’t seem to realize what she’s missing and can’t do anymore.
“Amy also struggles to realize where she is, where to go or which direction to choose. Amy needs help 24-7 because of this. She is not yet able to do anything independently.”
Pieters has made great strides in her physical recovery, “but the prospects from her mental situation are not yet the way we want to hear and see them. It is very uncertain to what extent she can still make progress in this, and what her options will still be.”
Pieters team explains that the Daan Theeuwes Centre, where Pieters has been rehabilitating, “can no longer take many major steps with Amy.
“It does mean that we are now looking and looking for another place where Amy can best go to get a follow-up to her rehabilitation. Amy needs care and assistance 24 hours a day.”
The authors of the post explain that “our sorrow, to miss the old Amy, remains”. But there are positives: Pieters is happy every day, and “her smiles makes up for a lot”. Plus, her team is still holding out hope for the future.
“Through rest, routine and safety, we hope that Amy can build up more independence and we also hope that Amy will eventually be able to talk again.”
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