Christopher Vincent: Jeremy Renner's sports physician shares how daughter Eva inspired his recovery
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The 52-year-old actor Jeremy Renner, best known for his work on 'The Hurt Locker' and "The Avengers," is recovering after being seriously injured in a snowplow accident on New Year's Day that nearly killed him. Renner has the "drive and determination," which has her 10-year-old daughter's motivation, according to his chiropractic sports doctor and trainer Dr Christopher Vincent, to fully heal from his wounds.
Vincent discussed Renner's remarkable recovery, despite the severity of his injuries, in a recent interview with People. "I've seen so many people with injuries way less severe than Jeremy had, and they just give up," he said.
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'He uses humor to stay positive'
"He uses humor to stay positive and keep himself healthy. That helps so much", said Vincent. One of the things that have kept Renner motivated during his recuperation has been his daughter Ava, whom he has with his ex-wife Sonni Pacheco. Ava as per Vincent, the media outlet noted is his "strongest motivator."
"You really reflect on life when something like this happens. It's like, 'Okay, what's important?'" Vincent said. Renner's family and friends have also played a significant role in his recovery, with his sister Kym overseeing everything and friend and Rennervations executive producer Rory Millikin relocating to the actor's Los Angeles home to assist Renner's mother, Valerie Cearly with caregiving.
"Everyone's played a huge role," Millikin told the outlet. Since 2011, Vincent has worked intermittently with Renner, and when Kym contacted him while Renner was still in the hospital, he acted without delay. "Jeremy wants to be back on his feet as quickly as possible," she told Vincent, prompting him to turn Renner's home "into a full rehab center" with state-of-the-art medical equipment.
'He had fractures on every limb'
The Boost Treadmill, created by a father and son pair that previously collaborated with NASA to aid astronauts in reintegrating on Earth's gravity, is one of Renner's home's most astounding possessions. "They gave us a treadmill, which was incredible," Vincent said. The machine has helped Renner learn to walk again, despite suffering blunt chest trauma and more than 30 broken bones. "We can have him exercising at 20 percent of his body weight," Vincent explained. "He had fractures on every limb."
'We've only scratched the surface'
Renner has made considerable progress in his rehabilitation, and on April 10, he was able to walk onto the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live! with the help of a cane. However, Vincent acknowledges that the actor still has a long way to go to fully recover. "We're still only maybe an eighth of the way there," he said. "We've only scratched the surface on the amount of work he's got left."
Despite the challenges ahead, Vincent is confident in Renner's ability to fully heal. "Once the bones all heal, then we can really start to fire up the muscles, we really see what joints are damaged and what nerves are really damaged," he explained. "We have to build back the strength." But with Renner's drive and determination, Vincent believes that he will be "better than he was before."