Ex-Toronto Raptors centre Aron Baynes has recently detailed the grave injury he sustained during a non-game-related incident at the Tokyo Olympics in an interview. Baynes experienced the incident in the Australian locker room, which resulted in a severe fall, leaving him hospitalized. Medical examinations revealed internal bleeding pressing on his spinal cord, severely restricting his mobility.
Baynes recounted the harrowing time he faced in the hospital, where the isolation and fear were paramount as he repeatedly lost and regained consciousness. He reflected on the weight of his life plans and ambitions, confessing to spending time in tears over the uncertainty of his future. The traumatic event echoed a family history of spinal cord injuries—Baynes’s uncle sustained a life-changing injury a decade earlier, becoming a quadriplegic.
Previous to this fateful fall, Baynes had endured a separate fall during an Olympic game against Italy where he had to leave the court due to injury concerns. This earlier fall raised questions about its possible contribution to the severity of the subsequent injury incident. Baynes has expressed gratitude for his recovery journey, despite the challenges it involves.
Baynes’s attempt to return to Olympic play was overruled by the medical team in Tokyo due to his condition. Describing the pain he felt, Baynes articulated an agonizing combination of burning and stabbing sensations that required pain medication, which unfortunately also incapacitated him by rendering him unconscious.
Source: Yahoo Canada Sports