ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) – Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen rolled through the hospital doors in her sleek-looking purple wheelchair, her familiar smile on her face and her bubbly personality ready to be unleashed.
Just two months ago, she was guided through those same doors on a stretcher after being brought in by an ambulance- not knowing what to expect or how much progress she would make after a spinal cord injury.
The self-described “wheelie queen” has come a long way since then, feeling “1,000 times better” after her rehabilitation time at Craig Hospital.
“I feel so much more empowered,” Van Dyken-Rouen said Thursday as she left the hospital.
While at the facility, the six-time Olympic gold medalist learned how to drive with hand controls, dress herself and pick up things off the floor. She also went boating, climbed into a kayak and visited the zoo.