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+---- Thread: Joost recovering slowly, kept in hospital (/Thread-Joost-recovering-slowly-kept-in-hospital)
Joost recovering slowly, kept in hospital - mcamp999 - 23-06-2006
Former Springbok captain Joost van der Westhuizen, who was admitted to hospital with severe concussion and swelling on the brain on Wednesday, was kept at Pretoria East Hospital for a second day of observation.
According to his doctor Henry Kelbrick, "he was recovering slowly, but well".
The former scrumhalf was still suffering from bad headaches yesterday as a result of a knock he took while playing in a Rugby Legends game in Durban earlier this week.
His wife, Amor Vittone, said: "I really got a fright when the whole thing happened. It really brought me down to earth again and you realise how precious your family is to you.
"Joost told me on the phone from Durban he had taken a knock when he tackled a player and he had a bad headache as a result. But we kept on chatting on the phone while he was at the function afterwards and he kept on giving me pointers about the venue, because I am scheduled to perform there at the final."
Van der Westhuizen underwent an MRI scan where the concussion and the swelling on the frontal lobes of the brain were diagnosed.
Vittone said: "It really didn't look good at the time and it was a big shock for me to see him like that. It was very serious but he is recovering slowly.
"He would have played today had he been okay. It was a freak accident, especially if you think of all the years he played across the world without sustaining an injury like that."
Vittone said the main thing now was to ensure that her husband received the best treatment available to ensure that there was no lasting damage.
"If it isn't handled properly he can suffer from strokes later."