13 seconds. That was enough to crash Lindsey Vonn’s Milano Cortina dreams. A day after the unfortunate accident rocked the sporting world, she finally revealed a positive update from her hospital bed. “I’m finally feeling more like myself, but I have a long, long way to go.” Vonn said, “Tomorrow I’ll have another surgery, and hopefully that goes well, and then I can potentially leave and go back home, at which point I will need another surgery.” While we await more medical updates from Vonn, her sister has released an emotional message.

It’s surely been a chaotic few weeks for Lindsey Vonn and family. First, she decided to participate despite tearing her ACL leading up to the Olympics. And then the crash after nicking a pole caused mayhem as she had to be airlifted. All this unfolded in front of Lindsey’s sister, Karin Kildow, who was present on the sidelines. Now that things have started to calm down with Lindsey undergoing multiple surgeries, Kildow has sent a message of support via her social media.

Along with a carousel of photos from the hospital with Lindsey Vonn, Karin wrote in the caption, “Can’t quite explain the emotional range of this week. But it really gave me an important perspective, I realized that whether it ends up the best scenario or the worst scenario, the common thread is that after it’s all done, we end up in a similar place, surrounded by friends and family, and life continues on.” 

Lindsey Vonn put everything into her Olympic attempt. Even if her journey ended in such an unlucky manner, Vonn remains an icon. Her bravery to move forward with her ski without an ACL will inspire generations to come.

“We laugh and cry and celebrate no matter what life throws at us. I really believe everything happens for a reason, and there will be a silver lining even when it’s hard to see at first,” she further wrote. “Thank you to everyone who sent beautiful messages of support publicly and privately. Beyond proud of you @lindseyvonn… we are all here for you no matter what ❤️”

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Lindsey had already shown that at 41, she can be among the best skiers in the world. This season, she finished on the podium in all five World Cup races she competed in, including two victories, making her the oldest ever to win on the prestigious skiing circuit. Those performances are proof that she had a legitimate chance at a medal in Milano-Cortina, if not for the two crashes.  During this difficult period, Vonn admitted that having her family has helped her recovery.

“I feel very lucky and fortunate to have so many people around me,” she remarked.

Lindsey Vonn already has an Olympic downhill gold from 2010 and two bronze medals. Her legacy is set in stone as she will finish her career as a legend and one of the best skiers of all time. However, for Vonn to return to full fitness, she will need a lot more than “4 surgeries.”

Lindsey Vonn needs extensive support as an expert predicts ‘a dozen surgeries’

Lindsey Vonn admitted that “there is a long, long way to go” in her recovery. Vonn has suffered a complex tibia fracture in her left leg and was wearing external fixators in the latest update. She’s already undergone three surgeries so far. At 41, recovering from any injury is like climbing Everest, but the situation for Vonn is worse. A torn ACL, along with the fracture, doesn’t help. According to a former NFL doctor, she will need a dozen surgeries before she can walk. 

Dr. Chao claimed in his recent YouTube video that 3 surgeries are not going to be enough for the scale of her injury while reviewing the erector set that went across her knee joint.

“She’s probably going to have, and I say this in the kindest of ways, a dozen surgeries. In terms of washouts for debridements. She’s going to at least have one more surgery to definitively take off the erector set and fix the problem, but it’s likely multiple still,” he said.

So, is this the end for Lindsey Vonn in professional skiing? Her father definitely thinks so. “

She’s 41 years old, and this is the end of her career,” Alan Kildow told The Associated Press’ Andrew Dampf. “There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.”

However, we haven’t heard it from Vonn herself.