The good news is that Bellator featherweight Chris Lencioni has been released from intensive care. He will, however, have a lengthy and uncertain path to recovery.
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Cris Lencioni injury update: The good news is that Bellator featherweight Chris Lencioni has been released from intensive care. He will, however, have a lengthy and uncertain path to recovery. Lencioni, 28, suffered a heart attack and fell into cardiac arrest while working out at a gym in Spokane, Washington, on June 8. Marca Lencioni, his wife, told MMA Fighting on Tuesday that an MRI indicated her husband also had brain damage. Cris is therefore in a “state of disordered consciousness,” yet is awake and responsive.
A video shared on MMA Fighting’s social media pages showed medical personnel working with Cris to get him to react to what was going on. After receiving a kiss from Marca, he may be seen beaming. Cris was discharged from the intensive care unit last Friday, with doctors hoping for the best.
Marca has high hopes for her husband’s recovery. “The neurologists were basically like, ‘We have to wait to see what he can do and what he shows us,’” Marca said. “Because he was so, so healthy when this happened and is young and an athlete, they’re not really sure what’s gonna happen. The brain is complex, and because of where he’s at, they don’t know and they can’t say. Even the neurologist, she’s like, ‘I can’t give you a definite answer, because it’s gonna be up to him.’
“If anybody can come out of something like this, it’s him. He’s a fighter in all senses. It’s not just in the ring.”
With Cris’ long journey ahead, the Lencioni family established a GoFundMe page to assist with medical expenses. As of this writing, about $55,465 of the $250,000 target had been met. Lencioni was prepping for a bout against James Gallagher at Bellator 298 on August 11, which has since been canceled.
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