Tiger Woods’ family wants to ensure he 'can be dad again and play with his kids' as he recovers in LA hospital
The boyfriend of Tiger Woods' niece has said the family's top priority is to allow the links legend, who moved to another hospital, to recover and become a dad again as soon as possible.
New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks, who is dating Cheyenne Woods, shared an update on Thursday, two days after Woods crashed his car near Los Angeles. “I think right now, we’re trying to make sure with everything that’s going on with the surgeries and stuff, that he’s just gonna be healthy again,” Hicks said, according to the New York Post. “Making sure he can be a father again and being able to enjoy and run around and play with his kids is what’s important right now.”
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Hicks said he had "only met Tiger one time" and called news of the crash “extremely scary." He added, “Cheyenne is a family member, so she wanted to make sure he was OK, and that’s what I think anybody would want.”
Last month, Hicks finished sixth in the celebrity division of the Diamond Resorts Tournament in Southern California. His girlfriend Cheyenne caddied for him during the golf tournament, per the Post.
Tiger Woods, who has two sons aged 13 and 11 with ex-wife Elin Nordegren, was pulled out of his SUV conscious, but his right leg was smashed and had sustained multiple fractures. Woods was rushed to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California, on Tuesday, which performed emergency surgery on his foot, ankle, right shinbone, and calf bone. Doctors determined he had “significant orthopedic injuries," and he was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Thursday for what is expected to be a long recovery, according to The Sun.
Meanwhile, it is possible Woods may have to undergo more operations on his leg. The family is yet to provide a statement on his condition since Tuesday night, when his team revealed he was awake and resting following surgery. According to medical experts, Woods' shattered leg will also require months of physical therapy.
As reported by The Sun, the 45-year-old champion was driving a brand new Genesis GV80 when he hit a "raised central reservation, smashed through a street sign, hit a tree, and rolled over several times." The exterior of the SUV was mostly destroyed, especially the bumpers, but the interior stayed intact and the airbag deployed, saving his life. Police did not find alcohol or drugs in Tiger Woods' vehicle and said they would have needed a warrant and probable cause in order to draw blood.
On Wednesday, the golf legend's mother Tida Woods said she believed her son “would survive and be able to hold his loved ones in his arms again,” according to veteran golf writer Pete McDaniel, who spoke to her after the incident.
Tida, who cares deeply about her son, previously told ESPN: "Every night, I pray to the Buddha that in the next life Tiger will be my son again."