Amy Van Dyken leaves Phoenix-area hospital, heads to Colo. for rehab

PHOENIX — Former Olympic swim star Amy Van Dyken-Rouen
was released from a Scottsdale hospital Wednesday morning, nearly two weeks after an accident left her paralyzed from the hips down.

Van Dyken, 41, who lives in the Valley, said she was excited to get this “new part of my life. … it’s almost like a rebirth.”

She will be continuing her recovery from a severed spinal cord at a Denver-area hospital. She and Dr. Luis Manuel Tumialan caught a medical-transport flight to the facility shortly after her release from Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center.

Later in the day, Van Dyken will begin the next phase of recovery at Craig Hospital, a rehabilitation hospital that specializes in spinal-cord and traumatic brain injuries.

The gold medal-winning swimmer has been regularly updating her progress on her social media accounts.

So cool… Riding in an ambulance, which is my car for today. http://t.co/dDI7WUAxb8

— Amy Van Dyken-Rouen (@amyvandyken) June 18, 2014

In an interview with “Today,” from the hospital, Van Dyken thanked fans for their support and promised to continue sharing her progress.

Van Dyken was injured June 6 while driving an all-terrain vehicle near Show Low. The four-wheeler hit a curb and flipped.

She has no memory of the accident other than flashes of the forest.

Van Dyken does know this: initial prognosis was so grim, she said, that a doctor told her that she and her husband, former NFL punter Tom Rouen, should say their goodbyes before her surgery.

Now, she’s saying goodbye to Arizona, at least for a while.