It’s a rider’s greatest fear – not being able to walk or of course ride again. You don’t think about it or you’d never get on the bike. It’s just a thought that may occasionally sneak into your head but it’s soon pushed out again.
Last year KRT’s Steven Frossard had to face that fear head-on following his terrible crash at the Grand Prix of Lombardia in Mantova when he was ejected from his KX450F, landing heavily. He was evacuated to hospital and when it was discovered he had no feeling in his legs many feared the worse.
At the Valence International MX Frossard met up with Motoverte to chat about his horrendous experience and to catch up on his remarkable progress since. “Arriving at the hospital I was operated on by Italian experts who told my father that I would never walk again,” Frossard told Motoverte. “As soon as I regained consciousness I had only one goal – to walk again, and of course get back on a bike!”
When Steven returned from Italy he set to work, “In the beginning trying to move a toe, finger or leg took incredible effort. Unless you’ve experienced it you can not imagine this but you stay focused on your goal.”
After many long daily sessions in the pool and intensive therapy Steven, to the surprise of the doctors, gradually recovered some movement. “I’ve never listened to them because they do not always know a top athlete. What is certain is that if I had been content to do what the physios told me, I would not be here today.
“I used to train alone without someone to tell me what I should do or there to push me. I forced and forced and now doctors are surprised to see me walk. I knew that I could do it, it was rooted in me.”
Steven still has a long way to go but has high hopes of a return to competition, “I continue to work physically every day because my left leg has not yet regained its full potential. I have yet to regain strength in the thighs and calves, but today I can live without pain and almost without hindrance, which is essential,” Steven told Motoverte.
He still has a long way to go and will undergo another operation very soon. He had hopes of a return to competition this year, such is the drive in this highly competitive athlete. He knows it will take longer but he’s determined to stay active within the community. What Steven has achieved is nothing short of remarkable and everyone at DBR towers wishes him well for the future.
You can read the full article over on Motoverte here.
