[Update] Jakobsen about surgery on the face: ‘It went well’

(October 14, 2020) Fabio Jakobsen has undergone another operation on his face, Patrick Lefevere explains The last news. The foreman of Deceuninck-Quick-Step indicates that the procedure was ‘very painful’. His teammate Florian Sénéchal has now spoken out for the first time about the crash. “I’ll never forget what I went through that day.”

A piece of bone is said to have been removed from Jacobsen’s pelvis and placed in his jaw. ‘He has to rest for three weeks now, he is not allowed to do anything, he walks on crutches. He’s had a bone transplant. Time is now needed for the bone to recover. After that, the surgeons will assess whether implants can be placed. The plan is to insert ten implants so that he can get new teeth, ‘says Lefevere.

Positive news is that Jakobsen sees at least on the bike again, although according to Lefevere the road is still a long time. After two months, of course not much remains of the rider he was in August. He now makes an hour trip with his father, but that is not the same as training with the team. And Fabio also has doubts: “Will I still dare to throw myself in the sprint?”, He often thinks about that now. “

Sénéchal thinks back to the Jakobsen crash: ‘Face was completely destroyed’

Not only Jakobsen is having a hard time, his teammate Sénéchal also lives every day with the images of the Dutchman, who was stabilized by Sénéchal shortly after his crash in the Tour of Poland. The French speaks openly about this The team: ‘I immediately went to him because no one was helping him. Fabio was losing a lot of blood and I immediately saw that he was choking. My first instinct was to lift his head very slowly and then he came to his senses a bit. The most terrible thing for me was that I didn’t recognize him, his face was completely destroyed. ‘

These are terrible details that Sénéchal is still confronted with every day. ‘I still don’t know how I could have reacted like that. I had no first aid training and did everything on instinct. When the emergency room arrived, they told me not to move and hold Fabio’s head. It took minutes, but it seemed endless. I was concerned that I had made his condition worse because I did not know if he had broken his neck or vertebrae. I stayed with him until they put a neck brace on and took him to hospital. I was in shock and couldn’t sleep for several nights. The team helped me a lot, because I was traumatized. I went to a psychologist, which was very helpful to me. ‘

Update 14 October 2020 (9:05 pm): Jakobsen about surgery on the face: ‘It went well’

Fabio Jakobsen underwent surgery on his face on October 8 and gave via Wednesday Instagram an update on his recovery. ‘That operation went well. The important thing now is that the transplanted bone can heal. My hip and mouth still hurt, but it’s getting better every day. ‘

Although the rehabilitation is very tough, Jakobsen gets a lot of motivation from the many statements of support. ‘Thanks for all the messages I have received! It motivates me to make the most of it and to try to return as strong as possible, ‘said Jakobsen, who is also grateful in the message to his girlfriend, with whom he has been together since Wednesday for four years. “Thank you for taking care of me, especially during this difficult time.”

(photo: Sirotti)