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David Ortiz is being transferred from a hospital in the Dominican Republic to Mass General Hospital in Boston.
On Monday afternoon, Boston-area media outlets reported that Ortiz was stable enough to be transported by airplane to Massachusetts where he will continue his recovery. A short while later, media in the Dominican Republic shared a picture of the ambulance waiting for Ortiz outside of the hospital where he has spent the past 18 or so hours.
Here’s what you need to know:
Ortiz Was Taken to the Airport by Ambulance After Successful Surgery
Ambulancia que llevará a David Ortiz al aeropuerto
A short while ago. an ambulance pulled up outside of the clinic to transport Ortiz to the hospital. Above, you can see the picture of the ambulance outside Abel Gonzalez’s clinic where Ortiz underwent surgery on Sunday night.
According to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas, Ortiz’s surgery was a success. Rojas quoted Dr. Abel Gonzalez as saying the “injuries were repaired” and that “the bullet affected the liver and both intestines.”
As far as Ortiz’s current condition goes, he was previously listed as stable and was said to be recovering in the ICU. According to Rojas, Dr. Gonzalez confirmed that Ortiz came out of surgery in good spirits.
“David overcame the surgery without major traumas. He asked about his family when he woke up,” reads the translated tweet.
The media crowded around the ambulance as Ortiz was taken out of the hospital on a stretcher. Security personnel held up a sheet of some sort to try to offer Ortiz some privacy and block the cameras from getting photos. You can see photos from outside the hospital below.
Cubrieron con una lona blanca el pasillo entre puerta de clínica y ambulancia que lleva a Big Papi al aeropuerto
Ortiz Is Traveling to Boston via Air Ambulance & Is Expected to Arrive Around 10 p.m.
And there he goes. @davidortiz heading to Boston from the DR. It took about 20 minutes to get him on the plane #Wcvb #DavidOrtiz
Big Papi arrived at the airport in the Dominican Republic around 6 p.m. Eastern. The video above shows the plane taxiing to the runway.
“David Ortiz is probably the most beloved and one of the most important players in our history, leading us to multiple World Series championships, and an active member in the community. I would be hard-pressed to think of anyone more beloved than David. It’s a very difficult day for the organization. I love David Ortiz. We all love David Ortiz. So telling my kids last night what had happened was very difficult. It’s hard to express what David Ortiz means to the Boston Red Sox. When you love someone and they come in harm’s way, it’s jarring. But you have to put those emotions aside and focus on what’s necessary,” Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy said.
Dr. Gonzalez was the lead doctor who oversaw Ortiz’s 6-hour surgery. He told ESPN that “the level of stability” Ortiz had shown was the determining factor making it possible for him to travel so soon after suffering such an injury.
“Doctors say he is out of danger, but he is heavily sedated and will be in intensive care for the next 24 hours,” Ortiz’s media assistant Leo Lopez told ESPN on Sunday night.
Ortiz is expected to arrive at Mass General Hospital before midnight.
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Photos: Ambulance Transports David Ortiz to Airport as Big Papi Heads to Mass General