The daughter of Olympian Dawn Fraser says her mother is “doing much better” after undergoing emergency surgery earlier this week.
Donn Lorraine Fraser said her mother was “a strong woman” who broke her hip and four ribs last Thursday and “terrified us.
Fraser had recently undergone eye surgery and tripped and fell in his newly renovated driveway.
Doctors had serious concerns about internal bleeding so emergency surgery and a radical hip replacement were performed.
“It was too risky to repair because she would have lost too much blood .. they replaced the entire hip,” Dunn-Loughlin said.
Fraser attends the Queen’s Torch Relay during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Sydney. (Photo: AAP)
The 87-year-old won gold medals in the 100m freestyle at three Olympics in 1956, 1960 and 1964 and is considered one of the greatest swimmers of all time.
She is an eight-time Olympic medalist and the first woman to break the one-minute barrier in the 100-meter freestyle.
‘I thought we were going to lose her’
Since the surgery, Fraser has been able to move around, and doctors have even told him to “slow it down.
Dawn-Loughlin said her family, including her grandson Jackson, stayed by Fraser’s side during her recovery.
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She said: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart – your words of support for me and Jackson have been so beautiful, considering everything going on in the world right now.
“She’s obviously still loved by people.. which is really wonderful.”
Jackson Frazier called his grandmother kind, loving and “always forgiving,” and said she recently fulfilled a promise to dance with him on his 21st birthday.
He said: “She has been lovely since I was born.
“She is always listening and ready to express her thoughts and opinions.”
Dawn Fraser poses with mining magnate Gina Rinehart at the Paris Olympics. (AAP: Dean Lewins)
Dwan-Loughlin said her mother is “not out of danger yet” and is just beginning to recover.
“It was horrible… I thought we were going to lose her.”
She said doctors asked what to do if anything went wrong.
She said: “She will be taken to Sydney for a state funeral.
“That’s the worst question anyone can ask you. I said ‘yes, you would save her, my mum is a fighter’.”
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Grandmother who ‘forgives everything’
Fraser’s grandson Jackson said his grandmother was “kind, loving and forgiving”.
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Dunn-Lorraine Fraser said the doctor asked what to do if anything went wrong.
“She will be flown to Sydney for a state funeral.
“That’s the worst question anyone can ask you. I said ‘Yes, you will save her. My mother is a fighter.'”
Doctors told her they believed Fraser would be fine.
The family said Fraser had just had eye surgery a few weeks earlier and tripped and fell in the driveway they were renovating.
Dunn-Loughlin said doctors told her mother that her broken hip made surgery “particularly risky,” so they decided to replace her entire hip.