Ballet dancer Lucila Munaretto out of coma
Two weeks after colliding with a mini van in North Vancouver, 21-year-old Argentinean ballet dancer Lucila Munaretto is out of her medically induced coma and is on the road to recovery.
Munaretto, who is in Vancouver on a scholarship to study ballet at Pacific Dance Arts, was critically injured while rollerblading.
Doctors put her in a medically-induced coma to ease the swelling on her brain and speed the healing process.
On Tuesday, she finally woke up.
"She's doing wonderfully. It's amazing, every day, the changes that we see," Pacific Dance Arts rehearsal director Katrina Bois told On The Coast's Stephen Quinn.
"She's joking with us, and of course, is very, very thankful."
Munaretto suffered a broken jaw, neck injury and brain injury as a result of the accident. But according to Bois, Munaretto is recovering at a speed that's surprising even her doctors.
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Since she was first admitted to hospital, Munaretto has had the support of her fellow dancers and her family.
Her mother Alicia flew to Vancouver from Brazil, where the family now lives, and has been at her side throughout her ordeal.
"[Alicia] just started crying on Tuesday when she opened her eyes and said, 'Hi, mom, I love you,'" Bois said.
Her fellow dancers, meanwhile, have started a fundraising campaign for Munaretto to help fund her recovery. Munaretto is insured, so her treatment is covered, so the $38,000 that has been raised will go to her post-hospital expenses.
"I have to dance"
Munaretto is still very weak, according to Bois, and still requires a feeding tube and is only able to lift her legs and sit up in a wheelchair.
Bois said doctors are unclear about her prognosis at this point, and it will be several weeks before she is able to leave the hospital.
Even though she only woke up a few days ago, Bois said Munaretto's focus has been singular: to get back to dancing.
"She said, 'I have to get strong very fast because I have to dance,'" said Bois.
The dance instructor believes Munaretto will return to dancing, and steps to get her back into form are already being discussed.
To hear the full interview, click the audio labelled Ballet dancer hit by car in North Van recovering from coma
