David Ortiz endured several tough battles over the course of his 14-year career in Boston, but they all pale in comparison to the one he took on this past summer.
The Red Sox legend on June 9 was shot in the back in his native Dominican Republic. Ortiz promptly underwent a multi-hour surgery and was transferred the next day to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where he received further treatment and began his recovery. The 44-year-old eventually was released from the hospital in late July and since has returned to his normal life.
Ortiz opened up about the ordeal during a recent appearance on ESPN’s “Dan Le Batard Show,” and as you can imagine, the road to recovery was a challenging one.
“I wasn’t able to eat or drink anything for about six weeks,” Ortiz said. “Everything was through a tube that I had going through here (arm). I had to fight with this bacteria for a while. The doctors and everybody at Mass. General were incredible. These people took care of me. …It was very scary, but I was dealing with the best team of doctors that you can ever deal with.”
It’s safe to say everyone is happy to see Big Papi back on his feet.
