Penn State Cheerleader Who Fell Five Stories Is In Critical Condition, Could Be Brain Damaged For Life
By Radar Staff
A Penn State University cheerleader who plummeted five stories from a window could be permanently brain damaged, her family’s rep told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview.
Paige Raque fell 39 feet from the off-campus apartment where she lives during a party on Saturday night and suffered severe brain injuries and a fractured pelvis.
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She remains in critical condition.
The 19-year-old “die-hard Penn Stater” was flown to Altoona Regional Health System and is still in intensive care, according to Yahoo! Sports.
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On Tuesday, sophomore Paige, from Louisville, Kentucky, showed a “slight improvement” and opened her eyes for the first time – but was back to being sedated by Wednesday and is resting, said Randy Jepson, head coach of the Penn State men’s gymnastics team and the Raque family’s spokesperson.
Speaking exclusively to RadarOnline.com Jepson said that it was too soon for doctors to know if Paige’s head injuries could result in permanent brain damage.
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He said: “It’s too early to say if Paige will be permanently brain damaged or the severity of any possible brain damage.
“It’s a very slow process and because her injuries are so dramatic the doctors have to take it day by day.
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“Yesterday was a very busy day for Paige – she had a lot of visitors and doctors attending to her – so today she is resting and is sedated again.
“But she is still in a critical condition.”
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The events surrounding the fall are still unclear but authorities have said it was an accident.
Jepson, who coaches Paige’s older brother Parker, the Penn State men’s gymnastics team captain, also said that it was normal that she was less responsive today.
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He said: “The doctors said that the fact Paige is responding less today is completely normal with these types of injuries.
“It’s remarkable that the only broken bones she has is a fractured pelvis.”
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When asked if Paige had been drinking at the party, Jepson said: “I can’t speculate about that and I can’t speculate about what actually happened that night.”
Paige’s brother Parker is keeping friends and family updated via his Twitter page.
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He Tweeted Wednesday morning: “With some family and friends this morning praying for Paige! Jesus said ‘Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.’”
Jepson added: “Parker is an amazing young man and the family have a very strong faith and just ask people to pray for Paige.”
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Tony Scott’s Brain Cancer Could Have ‘Affected His Ability To Think Clearly’ And Caused Suicide, Says Neurologist
By Debbie Emery – Radar Reporter
As new details emerge about the tragic suicide of Tony Scott, many are shocked at the manner in which he took his own life by jumping off a Los Angeles County bridge, and RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal that the Top Gun director’s decision-making skills may have been damaged by his terminal brain cancer.
“Brain cancer can affect the patient’s ability to think clearly and it may lead them to think the situation is hopeless when in fact there are things that can be done,” neurologist Lee D. Cranberg, M.D., who had not treated Scott, told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview.
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“It could interfere with their decision making process and weighing up the pros and cons,” he explained.
“Damage in different areas of the brain can cause different mental and cognitive function, and of course not just on the thinking process but the ability to sense things and make deliberate movements, such as move your arm or your leg.”
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the 68-year-old younger brother of famed filmmaker Ridley Scott jumped to his death from the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal Island in Los Angeles Harbor on Sunday. His body was pulled out of the water several hours later by divers from the Los Angeles Port Police.
Scott left a suicide note at his office, law enforcement sources said, but police have not revealed what was in it. Craig Harvey, a chief at the coroner’s office, said Scott also left several “instructional” notes to family and friends.
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It has since been revealed that the Days Of Thunder director was suffering from inoperable brain cancer, although the exact type of the disease has not yet been revealed.
“Some kinds are amenable to surgery and chemotherapy treatment, others are rapidly advancing and usually fatal,” explained Dr. Cranberg, who is a Clinical Instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School and a Staff Neurologist at Cambridge Health Alliance in Boston, Massachusetts.
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“The most famous brain cancer sufferer of recent times is Ted Kennedy. He had a glioblastoma, which is one of the worst varieties of the disease and is almost always fatal,” he said. “He lived for just over a year and then succumbed to it.”
Scott may have been scared of losing his mental functions and wanted to end his life before he went into a downward spiral, explained the medical expert. “He could have worried about becoming co-dependent and needing to be cared for.”
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While a diagnosis of cancer is always devastating, it is rare for it to cause such an extreme reaction. “Suicides are not common for people who are diagnosed with cancer, most people soldier on if the cancer is in another organ and doesn’t affect their thinking process,” said Dr. Cranberg. “The vast majority do not commit suicide.”
There has been an outpouring of tributes to Scott since his death, and on Monday actor Gene Hackman, who worked with him on Crimson Tide in 1995, sent an e-mail statement to RadarOnline.com.
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“Tony was always sensitive to the needs of an actor. We’ve lost a wonderful, creative talent,” he wrote.
Scott is survived by his wife, Donna, and two sons.
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Report: Usher’s Stepson Brain Dead After Watersports Accident
While summer time can be filled with fun family times at the lake, Usher and his folks are devastated by a watersports accident that left his 11-year-old stepson Kyle Glover brain dead.
According to a report, Glover was tubing on Lake Lanier in Georgia when a jet skier came out of nowhere and crashed into the boy.
Kyle, the son of Usher’s estranged wife Tameka Foster, was rushed to an Atlanta hospital but has been declared brain dead by doctors.
Despite the fierce divorce battle raging between Usher and Tameka, it sounds like they’re putting aside their differences for the time being and have gathered at the hospital to closely monitor Kyle’s progress.
Stay linked to the GossipCenter for the latest on this developing story.
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