Latest news with #DawnFraser
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Sport icon Dawn Fraser reveals the distressing amount of weight she's lost - and her chilling moment after horror fall: 'I didn't want to die that way'
Aussie sporting icon Dawn Fraser has revealed she lost 22kg following a fall on her driveway in December last year - and that she could have died following subsequent surgery. Fraser, 87, is a national treasure after winning Olympic gold in the 100m freestyle at three successive Summer Games, between 1956 and 1964. 'The pain was excruciating,' she told News Corp when reflecting on the serious fall at her Noosa home on Queensland 's Sunshine Coast in December last year. 'I'd never felt pain like that before. I've never sort of fallen or broken anything in my life and it was a shock to me.' And the cause of the fall? Fraser was trying to open a case of soft drink when she slipped on a small ledge and fell onto hard concrete. Fraser's hospital X-rays were grim - they revealed a broken hip, four cracked ribs and potential internal bleeding. Given her age, the anaesthetist then warned 'Dawny' she may not survive the operation. 'When the anaesthetist came in and said I could die, that was the frightening part,' Fraser recalled. 'I didn't want to die that way, so that put my will up to come through and come out of it.' Thankfully, everything went according to plan - only for Fraser to then endure a heart scare weeks later. Now fitted with a pacemaker, Fraser's heart is monitored 24 hours a day. Acknowledging she has to slow down has been a battle. She was on anti-depressants, but an old friend - swimming - has helped keep Fraser mentally strong. Fraser also admitted the recent setbacks have resulted in one of the toughest periods of her life. 'This has been the biggest challenge, absolutely,' she said. 'It's not something I thought I'd (ever) have to face. 'But now it's there in front of me. Winning the gold medals was much easier. I feel so lucky I survived.' In terms of attending the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, it remains to be seen if Fraser will be poolside. She will be 95 - but you never write off a champion.
West Australian
6 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Dawn Fraser health update: Olympic swimming legend ‘still fighting' and back in the pool after health issues
Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser has opened up about her recent health battles, including the moment she 'could die'. Fraser, an eight-time Olympic medallist, a world record holder for 15 years and a highly decorated Australian having received both a Companion of the Order of Australia and Member of the Order of the British Empire, has had a bad run with her health in recent months, including a fall that left her needing surgery and a heart issue. 'I've lost 22 kilos and a lot of strength,' Fraser told the Daily Telegraph . Sharing new details on the fall she had in December 2024, Fraser revealed it was a simple everyday activity that brought her to the ground. 'I was opening a case of Coca-Cola. I slipped opening the plastic container. My foot got caught on the little ledge we'd just had made for the gate,' she said. Fraser said after the fall, she 'couldn't get up' and was in a 'lot of pain', knowing she had suffered some serious injuries. 'The pain was excruciating,' she said. 'I'd never felt pain like that before. I've never sort of fallen or broken anything in my life and it was a shock to me.' Fraser, who was home alone at the time while her family went shopping, had her mobile on her when she fell and was able to call a neighbour for help. The swimming legend, once cheered on my thousands around a pool, was taken to hospital to be surrounded by health care professionals who told her she 'could die'. Fraser learnt that she had broken a hip, cracked ribs and was told she may have internal bleeding. Doctors asked Fraser's daughter, Dawn-Lorraine, if Fraser wanted medical professionals to conduct resuscitation if an urgent operation went wrong. 'I said, 'This is Dawn Fraser. She's not just any 87-year-old. She is tough.' I know my mother, and I was quite upset about that,' Dawn Lorraine told the outlet. Fraser said she fight the ordeal 'frightening', especially the idea that she may no-longer be around to spend years with her beloved family. 'When the anaesthetist came in and said I could die, that was the frightening part,' Fraser said. 'That I could die under anaesthetic. I didn't want to die that way, so that put my will up to come through and come out of it. I wasn't going to give in.' Fraser, who said she understands her age, said 'When I die, I want to be with my family.' The swimming legend won her race with surgery and began making a steady recovery until another alarming incident in the following weeks. When Fraser was visiting a surf club in Queensland, her heart began to fail. 'I started to feel very faint and I fainted and was unconscious for 5-7 seconds,' Fraser said. 'I didn't understand what had gone wrong,' she says. 'They said my heart had stopped for five seconds and I had a very low heart rate, which I did have when I was swimming. But as I've gotten older, it's got lower.' Following an emergency trip to Noosa Hospital, Fraser was given a pacemaker, something she hopes will give her more precious time with her daughter, grandson Jackson and others. 'I'm slower, I've got to accept that,' Fraser said. 'I do a lot of running in the water for my knees and my back and my hip.' However, it appears that Fraser's first love may have been the best medicine, saying she if better now she is 'back in the pool'. 'I'm good now that I'm back in the pool. I feel happy. I hope to get some of my strength back because I've lost a lot,' she said.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
‘I'm fighting': Dawn Fraser shares heart health update
Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser has opened up about her recent health battles, including the moment she 'could die'. Fraser, an eight-time Olympic medallist, a world record holder for 15 years and a highly decorated Australian having received both a Companion of the Order of Australia and Member of the Order of the British Empire, has had a bad run with her health in recent months, including a fall that left her needing surgery and a heart issue. 'I've lost 22 kilos and a lot of strength,' Fraser told the Daily Telegraph. Sharing new details on the fall she had in December 2024, Fraser revealed it was a simple everyday activity that brought her to the ground. 'I was opening a case of Coca-Cola. I slipped opening the plastic container. My foot got caught on the little ledge we'd just had made for the gate,' she said. Fraser said after the fall, she 'couldn't get up' and was in a 'lot of pain', knowing she had suffered some serious injuries. Dawn Fraser and David Dickson in Australia's 1962 swimming team. Credit: unknown / supplied 'The pain was excruciating,' she said. 'I'd never felt pain like that before. I've never sort of fallen or broken anything in my life and it was a shock to me.' Fraser, who was home alone at the time while her family went shopping, had her mobile on her when she fell and was able to call a neighbour for help. The swimming legend, once cheered on my thousands around a pool, was taken to hospital to be surrounded by health care professionals who told her she 'could die'. Fraser learnt that she had broken a hip, cracked ribs and was told she may have internal bleeding. Doctors asked Fraser's daughter, Dawn-Lorraine, if Fraser wanted medical professionals to conduct resuscitation if an urgent operation went wrong. 'I said, 'This is Dawn Fraser. She's not just any 87-year-old. She is tough.' I know my mother, and I was quite upset about that,' Dawn Lorraine told the outlet. 'This is Dawn Fraser', doctors were told. Credit: UNKNOWN / SUPPLIED Fraser said she fight the ordeal 'frightening', especially the idea that she may no-longer be around to spend years with her beloved family. 'When the anaesthetist came in and said I could die, that was the frightening part,' Fraser said. 'That I could die under anaesthetic. I didn't want to die that way, so that put my will up to come through and come out of it. I wasn't going to give in.' Fraser, who said she understands her age, said 'When I die, I want to be with my family.' The swimming legend won her race with surgery and began making a steady recovery until another alarming incident in the following weeks. When Fraser was visiting a surf club in Queensland, her heart began to fail. 'I started to feel very faint and I fainted and was unconscious for 5-7 seconds,' Fraser said. 'I didn't understand what had gone wrong,' she says. 'They said my heart had stopped for five seconds and I had a very low heart rate, which I did have when I was swimming. But as I've gotten older, it's got lower.' Following an emergency trip to Noosa Hospital, Fraser was given a pacemaker, something she hopes will give her more precious time with her daughter, grandson Jackson and others. Dawn Fraser on Dancing With the Stars. Credit: Unknown / TVW 7 'I'm slower, I've got to accept that,' Fraser said. 'I do a lot of running in the water for my knees and my back and my hip.' However, it appears that Fraser's first love may have been the best medicine, saying she if better now she is 'back in the pool'. 'I'm good now that I'm back in the pool. I feel happy. I hope to get some of my strength back because I've lost a lot,' she said.
News.com.au
14-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘My heart stopped': Olympic legend Dawn Fraser's chilling revelation
Australian sporting icon Dawn Fraser has revealed her heart stopped weeks after she had a serious fall last year as she detailed just how close she has come to death not just once but twice in the past six months. Last December, the Olympic legend had a nasty fall at her Noosa home which landed her in the ICU. The Australian Olympic swimming legend tripped on an unfinished driveway, breaking her ribs and a major hip bone. Fraser was then informed she needed a hip replacement but was chillingly told by doctors in no uncertain terms it was not a safe operation and she could die on the operating table. So doctors asked if she would give consent to her daughter Dawn-Lorraine to make medical decisions. 'That was the frightening part, was the fact that I might die under anaesthetic and I didn't want to die that way,' Fraser told 10 News presenter Sharyn Ghidella in an interview on Wednesday. Weeks after the fall, Fraser again looked death in the face when she suffered a cardiac episode while at the local surf club and revealed her heart had even stopped for several seconds. 'Unfortunately, I started to feel very faint and I fainted,' she said. 'They said that my heart had stopped for five seconds and I had a very low heart rate.' Fraser was subsequently fitted with a pacemaker and has since begun her long recovery which her daughter labelled 'a nightmare'. 'It's been a nightmare, she's been a nightmare,' her daughter Dawn-Lorraine told 10 News. Fraser's recovery has been a difficult road. She has lost 22kg and has battled with depression. But now almost six months old, Fraser says while he is still a 'little bit fragile on her feet' she fights every day to get better. 'I can still shower myself and take myself to the bathroom, but I can't make my own bed or open many doors,' she continued. 'It's a fight every day, but at least I'm doing it. Some days I feel 87. Other days, I don't … I lost a lot of strength and weight, but I'm fighting to get it back.' Fraser is one of Australia's greatest-ever Olympians winning two golds in the 100m freestyle and 4x100 free at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Fraser also won gold in the 100m freestyle at the 1960 Olympics and again at the 1964 Games. In her illustrious swimming career, Fraser broke 27 world records and was the first female athlete to be handed a Legend status by the Australian Sport Hall of Fame in 1993.
Perth Now
14-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Dawn reveals ‘my heart stopped'
Australia's original golden girl Dawn Fraser revealed her heart stopped weeks after she had a serious fall at her Sunshine Coast home in December last year. The Australian Olympic swimming legend suffered multiple injuries including broken ribs and required a hip replacement when she hospitalised five months ago. Doctors told the 87-year-old it was not a safe operation and she could die, and asked if she would give consent to her daughter Dawn-Lorraine to make medical decisions. 'That was the frightening part, was the fact that I might die under anaesthetic and I didn't want to die that way,' Fraser told 10 News presenter Sharyn Ghidella. Australia's original golden girl Dawn Fraser revealed her heart stopped after she had a fall at her Sunshine Coast home in December last year. Channel 10 Credit: Channel 10 She said Dawn-Lorraine and grandson Jackson were out when she fell on the driveway of their Sunshine Coast home, but she managed to use her mobile to call her neighbours. 'It was a shock for me. Thank goodness my neighbours were home and came over and looked after me,' Fraser said. They called the ambulance and she was taken to hospital where she later underwent surgery. 'I wasn't going to give in. When I die I want to be with my family.' Weeks after the fall, she suffered cardiac episode while at the local surf club. 'Unfortunately, I started to feel very faint and I fainted,' she said. 'They said that my heart had stopped for five seconds and I had a very low heart rate.' She was then fitted with a pacemaker. Fraser's recovery hasn't been easy, and she's lost 22kg and briefly became depressed. 'It's been a nightmare, she's been a nightmare,' her daughter Dawn-Lorraine told Ten. Jackson said 'I always saw her as invincible.' Australia's original golden girl Dawn Fraser spoke to 10 News presenter Sharyn Ghidella about her fall at her Sunshine Coast home in December last year. Channel 10 Credit: Channel 10 Since she returned home, Australia's 'living treasure' said she was a 'little bit fragile on her feet' and 'it's a fight every day'. But she has returned to the pool to rebuild her strength. 'So I've just started (swimming), and I've got to accept that doing that sort of exercise that I used to do when I was training has kept me going. 'I think, you know that's very important for your health and for my family too.' Fraser is one of Australia's greatest Olympic athletes winning two golds in the 100m freestyle and 4x100 free at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. She reclaimed gold in the 100m freestyle at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and again in 1964 at the Tokyo games. She broke 27 world records and was the first female athlete to be handed a Legend status by the Australian Sport Hall of Fame in 1993.
