Gorres on road to recovery

Ill-fated fighter Z Gorres is slowly showing more signs of recovery even as his manager Michael Aldeguer said yesterday his condition remains “critical but stable” in the Intensive Care Unit at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas.

“Buchoy responded well when he was asked to lift two fingers and find the tube and he was able to do it which is very good,” said Aldeguer who is closely monitoring Gorres’ progress in Las Vegas. “We will know how he responds to more commands in the next few days. The goal is to wean him away from the ventilator.”

While Gorres remains in guarded condition, Aldeguer said there is reason to be optimistic. Showing signs of brain activity, Gorres has even tried to pull out the tubes in his nose and mouth.

Aldeguer said Gorres is receiving the best medical care at the public, non-profit hospital which boasts a level I trauma center and is ranked one of the safest in the US.

Aldeguer said what caused the damage was the raw impact of Colombian Luis Melendez’ blow in the final seconds of their 10-round bout at the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino last Friday night. Gorres took a left straight on the jaw and fell against the ropes, luckily sparing his head from crashing to the canvas. He managed to get up and beat the count. 

Ironically, Gorres won the fight on a unanimous decision. The scoring wasn’t close as judges Jerry Roth and Lisa Giampa saw it 98-90, and Burt Clements, 97-91, all for the Filipino.

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A similar case happened to world-rated flyweight contender Pretty Boy Lucas of Bulacan in a fight against Chang Jae Kwon in Tokyo in 1995. Lucas, then 29, was knocked out in the ninth round and rushed to the hospital with a blood clot in the head. Four months earlier, he had lost a decision to WBO flyweight champion Jake Matlala in South Africa.

Doctors bore a hole through Lucas’ skull to remove the fluid that caused the swelling of the brain membrane. He survived the ordeal and now 43, wears a metal plate to cover the hole in his skull.

A team of five doctors led by neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Seiff performed surgery on Gorres to drain blood from his head, relieving pressure on the brain. The two-hour operation involved cutting a portion of Gorres’ skull to take out the fluid and prevent the brain from swelling. The portion is now in a bone bank and will be placed back on Gorres’ head when he is fully recovered. He will wear a metal helmet during the recovery period, which will entail therapy.

The estimate is Gorres will stay in Las Vegas for at least three months. Aldeguer said he will try to bring Gorres’ wife Datchess, mother of their four children, to Las Vegas to attend to the stricken fighter.

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Last Monday, ALA boxing promotions vice president Dennis Canete visited Gorres with trainer Edito Villamor, English cutman Tony Martin and fighter Michael Domingo.

“I will visit Z every day,” said Martin who used to live in Cebu and now resides in Las Vegas with his wife Yvonne, a Filipina nurse, and their two sons. “It seems as though Z has started to make a slight improvement. In fact, on one occasion, while Edito and I spoke words of encouragement, he opened his left eye and managed to give us the thumbs-up sign with his right thumb. The nurse also related to us that Z had done the same thing for her earlier, which she commented was a good sign. Let’s just pray this was the first sign of a full recovery.”

Aldeguer said the other day, doctors removed Gorres’ neck brace and reduced his sedation. Gorres has been in an induced coma to stabilize his condition.

“He is now able to follow commands,” said Aldeguer. “He opened his eyes on his own a few times. He is able to move both of his legs on command. He moves his left arm on painful stimuli. His neck collar has been taken off since he has been cleared from neck injuries. We trust that the Lord will grant full recovery.”

Aldeguer mentioned that ALA stable trainer Edmund Villamor, who is also in Las Vegas, was recently hospitalized and confined in the ICU for a severe case of pneumonia. It was earlier suspected that Villamor had swine flu. Villamor went to Las Vegas to work with ALA fighter Mark Jason Melligen who lost a split decision to Mexico’s Michel Rosales on the same card where Gorres beat Melendez. Villamor has since been released from the hospital with a clean bill of health.