Vatican City, Jun 24, 2020 / 08:00 am
Pope Francis has written a letter of encouragement to Alex Zanardi, a Formula One driver turned Paralympic champion who is in a coma following a collision last Friday.
In the letter, published June 24 in the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the pope said that Zanardi had offered the world "a lesson in humanity."
Zanardi was hospitalized June 19 after he collided with an oncoming truck during a handcycling race in Pienza, Tuscany. He underwent neurosurgery and maxillofacial surgery before doctors placed him in a medically induced coma.
The 53-year-old lost both his legs in 2001 after crashing during motor race in Germany. He went on to win four gold medals and two silvers in handcycling at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics.