It took only 13 seconds to change the narrative from a glorifying comeback to a Lindsey Vonn who was found screaming in pain against the Italian snow. Her Olympic dream was shattered as she was airlifted to Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso and shifted for further medical procedures. What followed was not just a race to repair a bone but a desperate fight to save her limb from amputation. But already, the skier has shown what it takes to be a champion like her.

Recently, days after being discharged from the hospital, Vonn has offered the world a glimpse into her recovery on her Instagram story, stating, “Finding ways to work,” with the social media video set to “No Days off” by TheMastreM.

For the 41-year-old, this was a showcase of her resilience, as her competitive spirit never faded away despite the severity of what she is battling. The crash, which occurred during the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, did far more than break bones.

As Lindsey Vonn revealed on her social media at the time, her left tibia was in pieces.

“Basically, I had a complex tibia fracture. I also fractured my fibular head, my tibial plateau, just kind of everything was in pieces. The reason why it was so complex was because I had compartment syndrome. So all the muscle and nerves and tendons, it all kind of dies and Dr. Tom Hackett saved my leg. He saved my leg from being amputated. He did what’s called a fasciotomy, where he cut open like both sides of my leg, kind of filleted open, so to speak, let it breathe, and um, he saved me,” she confessed.

It was Dr. Tom Hackett who performed that surgery, saving her leg. The procedure took six hours, but it was just one of at least four surgeries that she went through since the crash. On her Instagram, Vonn also shared a couple of X-ray pictures that clearly showed the severity of the injury, as plates and screws held her leg.

However, as if that wasn’t all, the American skier had significant blood loss, which required a transfusion, and it left her in more distress. And the recovery time for a complex tibia fracture is no joke, as it can take more than just four to six months, depending upon the nature of the injury.

For Vonn, amidst this physical injury, there was another heartbreak that she had to deal with.

Lindsey Vonn coped with the loss of one of her biggest support systems

Lindsey Vonn is a fierce athlete, but under that competitive fire lies a soft side that she has with her pets. But just a day after her crash, the 41-year-old lost her dog Leo, who had been with her since 2014.

Indeed, Leo was rescued from a Florida shelter that had overlooked him because of his bad knee from being hit by a car. They became each other’s support system, as during Vonn’s injuries, her pet was by her side.

“The day I crashed, so did Leo. He had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer (he survived lymphoma a year and a half ago) but now his heart was failing him. He was in pain and his body could no longer keep up with his strong mind. As I layed in my hospital bed the day after my crash, we said goodbye to my big boy. I had lost so much that meant something to me in such a short amount of time. I can’t believe it,” Vonn wrote in remembrance.

But this reality hit harder the moment she was released from the hospital after her crash, as she said, “Home sweet home. Feels good to sleep in my own bed. Wheeling through the front door without Leo greeting me like always was a very hard reality. A reality I had to face. Along with many other hard realities that lay in front of me as I move forward…”

This particular loss comes after the death of her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lucy, who passed away last year due to kidney failure. And the timing of Leo’s tragedy was just harsher for Vonn, who battled through this painful episode in Cortina.

However, by providing updates, Vonn has confirmed that this crash was another part of her life, and it didn’t break her resilience.