VARIOUS/FILE: FOOTBALL/SOCCCER: Paraguay star Salvador Cabanas, recovering from a gunshot to the head, inspires national team as he overcomes odds

Record ID: 445121

  • Title: VARIOUS/FILE: FOOTBALL/SOCCCER: Paraguay star Salvador Cabanas, recovering from a gunshot to the head, inspires national team as he overcomes odds
  • Date: 22nd May 2010
  • Summary: BUENOS AIRES PROVINCE, ARGENTINA (MAY 17, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CABANAS' DOCTOR, LISANDRO OLMOS, WORKING AT COMPUTER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DR. OLMOS SAYING: "This kind of injury statistically results in almost instant death in 80 percent of the cases. But in the 20 percent that survive and get emergency treatment and later gain access to rehabilitation, only three p
  • Embargoed: 6th June 2010 13:00
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  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7VWGQIO5YV2GQ8RTHXXFS3L7I
  • Story Text: Paraguay's undisputed leader Salvador Cabanas won't be at the World Cup in South Africa, but he will still be the driving force for the club.
    Cabanas' life took a drastic turn when he was shot in the head at a Mexico City nightclub in the early morning hours on January 25.
    A compact and powerful striker, the 29-year-old Cabanas was a pillar for the Mexican club America and led Paraguay through a strong qualifying round to a World Cup berth.
    Now Cabanas, sporting a long scar across the side of his head, trains alone at a rehabilitation center north of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.
    His doctor, Lisandro Olmos, said the Paraguayan beat odds to make it out with his life and continues to surprise as he recovers.
    "This kind of injury statistically results in almost instant death in 80 percent of the cases. But in the 20 percent that survive and get emergency treatment and later gain access to rehabilitation, only three percent have an acceptable level of recovery," Olmos told Reuters.
    Olmos said Cabanas is in conditions to travel to South Africa and watch the games from the sidelines, but will most likely stay in Argentina and continue his rehabilitation.
    The doctor explained that damage from the bullet forced doctors to remove part of his skull to relieve pressure from brain swelling. The skull bone was replaced but doctors were forced to leave the bullet.
    Nonetheless, under four months after the attack, the tenacious Cabanas is already playing games of pick-up soccer at the clinic.
    But while Olmos said he has made giant strides, he added his motor skills still need work.
    "He's really shown significant advances. For example, he now has the capability to pass the ball to the left and to the right, something that didn't happen at first. He focused much more on the right and not much on the left. He didn't notice his teammates who were on his left. Now he has faster reactions in his responses but he's still a bit slow," Olmos said.
    As Cabanas runs through his daily exercises in Argentina, back home in Paraguay he has become a symbol of strength and inspiration for the national team.
    Paraguay defender Julio Caceres said he and his teammates will be playing for Cabanas.
    "Everyone knows Salvador, not just us. The work he has done over time is valued everywhere. Unfortunately, he's not going to play in the World Cup but he's going to be with us and that's going to be fundamental for us to be in high spirits. The efforts we make, our wins, every step we take will logically be for him," Caceres said.
    Shortly after the shooting, fans filled soccer stadiums in Asuncion and Itagua, Cabanas' hometown, to show their support for the charismatic striker.
    Paraguay's coach Gerardo Martino, an Argentine, has scrambled to fill Cabanas' spot of the frontline, picking up Borussia Dortmund's Lucas Barrios, an Argentine who recently got Paraguayan citizenship.
    But Carlos Bonet, a veteran defender for Paraguay, said they are big shoes to fill.
    "It hurts all of us. We know Salvador is irreplaceable. Cabanas was Paraguay's best in the qualifiers and I think it's going to be hard to fill that hole. As a person and a player, he was very important for the Paraguayan team," he said.
    This advertisement, filmed last year, has taken on special symbolic value in Paraguay. It shows Cabanas first as a field commander, riding a horse and encouraging his teammates, and then manning the wheel of ship in the middle of a storm.
    Paraguay drew Group F in South Africa along with defending champion Italy, New Zealand and Slovakia. And whether Cabanas makes the trip or not, he will certainly be present as Paraguay takes on opponents.
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