Steph De Lander opens up about getting neck surgery.
At TNA Victory Road, Steph De Lander announced that she needed to get neck surgery. She noted that the issue had been bothering her for some time, and she needed to get it taken care of.
Speaking on her That’s Cooked podcast on her YouTube channel, Steph De Lander discussed getting surgery and shared her mindset. (H/t Robert DeFelice of Fightful for the transcription)
“I need to take care of myself. I need to take care of my neck so I can have a long career when I return,” Steph De Lander said. “Every wrestler’s worst nightmare is getting told that you can never wrestle again, right? But that’s not even taking into consideration the risks of paralysis, serious neck injury, and all of that kind of stuff. So even just from a career standpoint, I’m going to do everything that I can to avoid getting told I can’t wrestle, right?
“So, if I have the option to do this surgery, which would be a fusion of C5-C6, dissectomy, and recover and come back, which is a surgery that lots of wrestlers have had previously. I’ve spoken to multiple wrestlers that have had the exact same surgery and have returned to wrestling, and they’ve all said that they feel [like] a million bucks, that it’s the best thing they ever did. They’re so happy they did it. I’ve heard so many people have really positive experiences, which is what I need to hear.”
Steph De Lander On Return Timetable
Steph De Lander continued by noting that she did not want to risk a serious neck injury, so she was going to have surgery. She stated that the surgery would not be career-ending, and she would be out for at least six months.
“I’m gonna do this while, while I can and while it makes sense,” De Lander said. “it feels very, very reckless when I want to have a long career to risk a really serious neck injury. So that’s kind of where I’m at. That’s the answer for everyone. It’s going to be a fusion of a C5-C6. Is it career-ending? Absolutely not. How long am I going to be out? Probably six-plus months, maybe a little bit longer, and that’s just the way it is.”
TNA previously announced that De Lander would be sidelined for at least six to ten months.
WrestleZone wishes Steph De Lander well, and we will provide more information as it becomes available.
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