Vonn hopes to go home after fourth surgery following Olympic crash - ESPN

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn will have another surgery on her broken left leg Saturday at the Italian hospital treating her «and then I can potentially leave and go back home.»

Vonn posted a video message on Instagram on Friday following her horrific crash in the Olympic downhill race at the Milan Cortina Games.

«Hey guys, I just wanted to give you a little update and say thank you so much to everyone that has been sending me flowers and letters,» Vonn said, adding that she has also received stuffed animals, including a shark pillow that she was resting her head on in the video. «It's just been so amazing and really helped me a lot.

»It has been quite a hard few days in the hospital here. I'm finally feeling more like myself. I have a long, long way to go. Tomorrow I'll have another surgery and hopefully that goes well and then I can potentially leave and go back home, at which point I will need another surgery. Still don't know exactly what that entails yet until I get some better imaging, but it's kind of where I am right now."

Vonn is being treated at a hospital in Treviso.

«And yup, that's a bruise under my eye,» Vonn added in a written message in her post. «Almost gone though!»

A post shared by L I N D S E Y • V O N N (@lindseyvonn)

The 41-year-old Vonn crashed 13 seconds into her run during Sunday's race and was airlifted off the course by helicopter. The American skiing standout said late Monday she had suffered a "complex tibia fracture that is currently stable but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly."

She said on Wednesday that she had a «successful» third surgery.

Nine days before Sunday's crash, Vonn ruptured the ACL in her left knee in another crash. Even before then, all eyes had been