UPDATE ON TARA LLANES
Tara Llanes is the mountain bike/BMX champion who was seriously injured in a crash in the finals of the Jeep King of the Mountain Professional Mountain Bike Championships in Beaver Creek, Co. She broke both her back and her neck.
The injuries left Tara paralyzed below the waist, with major trauma to her spinal cord. She has had two surgeries, the most recent to seal up her leaking spinal cord, and has been moved into another room, out of intensive care. She is in the Denver Health Hospital
The prognosis is that this is a life-altering injury. She still has no feeling below the waist; though friends describe her as 'upbeat' and 'positive.' She is still being heavily sedated for pain, and there are no comments from those close to Tara about whether she understands yet the seriousness of her condition.
The mountain bike/BMX world is showing their enormous friendship for this inspiring racer by sending so many flowers and stuffed animals that it's hard to fit them all in her room. She has long been one of the most beloved figures on two wheels.
Tara will stay at the Denver Health Hospital until her condition has stabilized, which should be within two to three weeks. She will then be transferred to Denver's Craig Hospital, internationally known for spinal cord injury rehab. It is also where Stephen Murray is doing his rehab. Murray is the BMX rider who was paralyzed from the shoulders down after a crash in the DEW Tour's Baltimore stop in June.
Tara is expected to be at Craig Hospital for about seven weeks before returning to her home in Los Alamitos, where she will continue her physical therapy.
Daily updates are being posted on her Myspace page, where you may read a history of what has happened since the injury (as well as her own previous blog entries, including photos from her China trip for the World BMX Supercross at the Olympic venue). Visit her page at: http://www.myspace.com/mtbtara. You may also leave a message for the BMX champion, family members and friends say she loves reading the messages.
Though Tara has insurance, it will not cover such costs as travel, home modifications, a higher level of wheelchair and so on. A fund has been set up by Tara's family to take care of these and other expenses. Donations may be mailed to:
Tara Llanes Road to Recovery Fund
4068 Green Ave.
Los Alamitos, Ca.
90720
In addition, there is already talk among the cycling community of holding various benefits and fundraisers on Tara's behalf. Adventure Sports Weekly will continue to have weekly updates on her condition, and news of any planned fundraisers.