Back in August, IndyCar driver Robert Wickens suffered a severe spinal cord injury following a crash at the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway, during which his car went airborne, spun several times, and slammed into a catch fence.
Days later, the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver had titanium rods and screws placed in his spine during surgery to stabilize the fracture, while he had surgery on his hands and legs in September. To the outside observer, the future looked pretty bleak for Wickens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV0f5lZW96k
The road to recovery has not been easy for the Toronto, Canada native, and despite being a paraplegic, he has remained hopeful, continuously updating fans about his recovery process through videos on social media. In October, Wickens said that he was a long way from walking, but that, after working with a therapist, he was getting "most feeling and some movement back in (his) legs." Thankfully, if this video posted to Twitter on November 30 is any indication, it looks like he's slowly but surely taking even more steps in positive direction.
With the help of a rehab specialist, straps, and walking sticks, Wickens is shown giving it everything he has to move a few steps forward.
Today was a hard day. #spinalcordinjury #gaittraining #walkingishard Thanks @itsKarliWoods for always grabbing these clips! pic.twitter.com/hLSovTJAjd
— Robert Wickens (@robertwickens) November 30, 2018
Wickens' crash has had a major impact on the professional auto racing community. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who came only inches away from getting struck by Wickens' car at Pocono, called for better head protection several days following the wreck.
In late October, Tony Stewart said that the Pocono incident had him reconsidering his planned Indianapolis 500 return.
"After Robert Wickens got hurt, I don't know how excited I am about it anymore," Stewart told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "You watch Robert get hurt and ask yourself if it's really worth it."
While an Indy 500 return may not be in the cards for Stewart, when it comes to things that are "really worth it" for Wickens, it's getting himself back in walking shape and continuing the rehab process. Keep fighting, Robert!