When the initial news of Lamar Odom’s horrible drug incident in a Las Vegas brothel came out last week, the outlook was initially grim. He wasn’t doing well at all and he was connected to all sorts of apparatuses as he fought for his life.
Just one week later, everything seems to be turning in favor of the former sixth man of the year. Odom is reportedly going to reconcile his marriage with Khloe Kardashian and he is vowing to not use anymore drugs if they get back together.
Odom’s progression in physical therapy has gone well and he is taking strides in the right direction.
Following from Christopher Weber of the AP courtesy of Yahoo! Sports.
Lamar Odom’s family said Thursday that his speech is improving as he undergoes therapy in Los Angeles more than a week after the former NBA star was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel.
”He is beginning to gradually flourish both mentally and physically,” said a statement from Alvina Alston, publicist for Odom’s aunt JaNean Mercer. ”His use of speech has increased and he’s more cognitively responsive.”
Alston called Odom’s therapy regimen ”aggressive,” but she did not elaborate.
News has also come out, from Mark G. Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, that Odom may require a kidney transplant.
Amid all the cautious optimism surrounding Lamar Odom’s unexpected recovery, the former Lakers and Clippers forward also will likely face some even heftier challenges.
Odom will likely need a kidney transplant, according to multiple sources familiar with his recovery. Ever since being hospitalized last week after becoming unresponsive at a Las Vegas brothel, Odom has received daily kidney dialysis treatment.
He spent last week at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas where his dialysis treatment lasted between 11 to 12 hours per day, sources said. Odom has since been transported via medical helicopter to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday night. There, his latest dialysis procedures have lasted about six to seven hours per day, sources said.
Odom is expected to need months of dialysis and physical therapy, sources said. But for patients with end stage kidney failure, dialysis does not improve the condition of the actual kidney. According to the National Kidney Foundation, dialysis treatment helps a patient with failed kidneys only by removing waste, retaining needed chemicals in blood and controlling blood pressure.
Hopefully Lamar continues to make a miraculous comeback from what once was a grim situation. Hoping Odom gets the best attention as he’s been taken from a Las Vegas hospital to Los Angeles to be closer with friends and family.
