Six-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, who severed her spinal cord in an all-terrain vehicle accident earlier this month, will speak with Matt Lauer about her inspiring story — and the great strides she's making — in an interview that will air on TODAY Friday.
The latest on Amy's journey to recovery:
- Van Dyken-Rouen, 41, was found by her husband following an ATV accident on June 6. She was rushed to emergency surgery in Scottsdale, Arizona, with injuries so severe that she and her husband, former NFL punter Tom Rouen, said their last goodbyes before she was taken into the operating room.
- She is paralyzed from the waist down but has remained incredibly positive throughout the ordeal, saying "every day is a blessing" and telling TODAY viewers to "keep sending their positive vibes" in a 34-second video greeting.
- Van Dyken-Rouen, who won four gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2008, got back in the pool for the first time this week as part of her rehabilitation at a facility in Denver.
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