Christian Neureuther
Ski legend was “damn lucky” after a tick bite
Christian Neureuther, here during a TV recording, had meningitis.
© imago images / STAR-MEDIA
After a tick bite, Christian Neureuther had to go to hospital. He had meningitis.
Christian Neureuther (72) had meningitis after being bitten by a tick in the summer. “I was damn lucky”, explains the ski legend in an interview with “Bild am Sonntag”. He didn’t notice the bite, but a few weeks later he wasn’t feeling well.
Meningitis was then diagnosed in the hospital. “I have no memory of the first week. I was completely apathetic, had impaired consciousness and probably also a fever,” says Neureuther. He also had speech disorders. His son Felix (37) took care of him and his wife, Rosi Mittermaier (71), was by his side every day.
“My brain was no longer working properly”
The 72-year-old was later transferred to the neurological department of the Innsbruck Clinic. “My brain was no longer working properly,” he explains. “Everything swam from left to right before my eyes. The dizziness was insane.” He could hardly stand on his feet.
He spent another three weeks in rehab. “To this day, I still have severe back pain. Turning my head is still not easy,” he says. In addition, his blood pressure is too low and he has lost six kilos, “but it’ll be fine,” says Neureuther optimistically. He was “actually never desperate”: “We as a family said: We can do it. I had the very best doctors, my Rosi, our children and the grandchildren.”