Hours of cautious optimism for Lorenzo “Bonni” Bonicelli, the 23-year-old gymnast from Abbadia Lariana who was seriously injured last July 23 during artistic gymnastics qualifications at the Universiade in Germany.
The fall, which occurred upon exiting the third rotation on the rings, had caused a subluxation of the fifth vertebra — reduced with surgery — and neurological damage.
After being admitted to the Essen University Hospital , Bonicelli was transferred by air ambulance to Niguarda Hospital in Milan on August 7, where he is currently in the Neurointensive Care Unit. He is currently undergoing a delicate recovery.
Every step forward is seen as a victory, while access to visits remains regulated: one visitor at a time, in the afternoon, wearing a mask and gown.
Bonni's family is still supported by his girlfriend Lisa Rigamonti, a gymnast and nurse, who prefers to leave the task of updating friends and supporters to Gilardoni. At the end of July, she shared a message on social media asking for support for her partner: "What happened is something very complicated, it will change his life. We need to wait to be sure about tomorrow."
