Former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns, who had suffered a spinal stroke following a recent heart surgery that left him paralysed below the waist, has revealed on social media that he has a ‘flickering’ in his right ankle, indicating that he might be on a slow but steady path to recovery.
The 51-year-old had suffered complications following a major heart surgery in Sydney. Cairns suffered an aortic dissection and had to be operated upon at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital.
During the life-saving emergency heart surgery Cairns underwent, he suffered a stroke in his spine, resulting in paralysis in his legs. As a result he is undertaking a rehabilitation process at a specialist spinal hospital.
“My right ankle is flickering!!! Super stoked about that. Toes are the furthest point from the brain and messages are slowly making their way down to them. A fair bit to go….but these days I’m all about celebrating the small wins!” wrote Cairns on Instagram.
Cairns has featured in 62 Tests, 215 ODIs and two T20Is for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006. In 2000, he was named as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
