Matt Hughes family have confirmed a recent rumor that the UFC legend has been taken off his ventilator, but there’s still a long way to go in his recovery over two weeks after his truck hit a train in Illinois.
News that Hughes condition had improved was originally posted on www.journal-news.net, a local newspaper in Montgomery County, who referenced a speech by Pastor Jim Hayes of St. James Baptist Church, who claimed that Hughes was off his ventilator, had his eyes open, was able to make a sweeping motion with his hand and could push his foot in response to questions.
Now Hughes’ sister Beth has released a statement on Facebook that suggests that report is at least partially true, but also cautions that some aspects of it may not be entirely accurate.
“Please understand that Matt was the only public figure in our family,” Beth Hughes Ulrici wrote. “The rest of us are just regular everyday small town folks. We have never had to deal with the media and all the added stress that comes with it. We are all very private people and we are doing our best to keep you all informed; but our focus right now is Matt and his recovery. No news is good news!
Matt is off the ventilator and showing some small signs of improvement. There are some stories and comments out there that are exaggerated. Please don’t believe everything you hear or read. This is going to be a long journey for his recovery. Please continue to keep Matt in your prayers. He is strong, he has heart and he will not give up! We are faithful in the fact that he will recover with God’s Grace and Mercy! We as a family ask everyone to keep praying for Matt!
