Ian Stark ‘more comfortable’ and out of intensive care
Ian Stark is out of intensive care but still being monitored closely by hospital staff following a brain bleed on Sunday.
His daughter, Steph, told H&H: “He’s recovering but still very sore. He moved out of intensive care on Monday, into a high dependency unit yesterday and is now in a room on his own.”
The 55-year-old Olympic event rider called himself an ambulance having felt unwell while driving to teach near Pembroke on Sunday. He is in the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, undergoing tests to establish the cause of the bleed.
Steph said doctors believe the bleeding has stopped of its own accord, but that they are still doing tests because Ian is in more pain today than he was yesterday.
“They are planning on keeping him in Cardiff until Monday or Tuesday at the earliest, when we hope he can be moved to a hospital in Edinburgh to be closer to home,” she said.
“As far as we know at the moment he won’t need an operation, so it’s just a period of recuperation he needs, but they want to keep him stable until he is more comfortable.”
Steph said she was “touched” to learn that Ian Stark fans have flooded H&H’s Facebook page with good wishes for his speedy recovery.
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Scottish event rider Ian won four silver medals at three Olympic Games, as well as gold, silver and bronze medals at European and world championships.
He was European champion in 1991 and won Badminton three times, in 1986, 1988 and 1999.
Since retiring from international competition in 1997, Ian has been busy training other riders and designing cross-country courses.
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