Doctors 'feeling very positive' about Derick Hougaard recovery
Bulls legend Derick Hougaard is on the road to recovery following his release from the hospital, his friend Nádine said on Monday.
The former Springbok flyhalf spent three weeks in ICU at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria.
Singer Nadine said Hougaard, diagnosed with respiratory pneumonia, remains on an oxygen machine.
"He is back home; he is very tired and has lost a lot of weight. He is extremely exhausted, but so far, so good, and everything seems to be going well. Every day is a one day closer to full recovery.
"He still on an oxygen machine, which he needs to use for at least a minimum of 16 hours per day, and two litres of oxygen per minute. We are making sure that he is comfortable, and he is eating again, and there is a lot of medication that he needs to take, but the doctors are feeling very positive about his journey to recovery."
Nadine says Hougaard’s vocal cords have still not recovered.
"He can communicate. His vocal cords were three weeks of receiving oxygen through the support of a ventilator. His vocal cords are still swollen. He doesn't have a lot of oxygen to speak properly and project when he speaks, so he speaks very softly, and he is still quite weak, and we take try to take it easy in communication when we speak to him," she added.
Known affectionately as the 'Liefling', Hougaard played over 100 games for the Bulls between 2002 and 2008.
In the 2002 Currie Cup final against the Golden Lions, Hougaard broke Naas Botha's 15-year record for points scored in a Currie Cup final, scoring 26 points.
He made his Test debut for the Springboks during the 2003 Rugby World Cup at the age of 20.
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