In a recent update, The Challenge star Nelson Thomas revealed things took a disappointing turn on his road to recovery after his car crash last month.
Nelson, 34, was involved in a horrific crash in Texas several weeks ago, which saw him rescued in a heroic effort by NFL player KJ Osborn and friends who’d been traveling on the road when they saw his wreck.
Osborn and his friends were able to pull Nelson from his burning vehicle to safety in time for emergency crews and medical personnel to arrive at the scene to assist.
However, it resulted in a lengthy hospital stay for Nelson, who revealed he’d suffered severe cuts and burns on his arms and legs.
Monsters and Critics reported on Nelson’s recovery update, which had him walking a short distance around the hospital room on one leg using a walker to keep his other leg off the ground. The medical staff was also around him to provide support and explain the doctor’s orders regarding how little he could move until things healed more.
He was eventually released from the hospital, but a new update from Nelson reveals he was recently rushed back to the emergency room.
Nelson reveals he needs another surgery for crash injuries
Taking to his Instagram Story this week, Nelson shared a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed with various patches taped to his chest.
A smaller photo was also included in the upper right corner of Nelson’s photo showing the brutal injuries he suffered to his leg, ankle, and foot, which appear to have been badly burned and cut up during his car crash.
“Having another surgery in the morning,” a bit of text said underneath the smaller photo.
“Back in the hospital, I got rush to ER. I’m really trying to stay positive & strong but it’s getting HARD… Please keep me in your [praying hands emoji],” another bit of larger text said on the slide.
Nelson has GoFundMe for his medical bills
As seen in the slide above, Nelson also included a GoFundMe link. Monsters and Critics previously reported about the Gofundme campaign, started by a friend of Nelson’s to help with his costly medical bills.
Among the cast members who have contributed are Johnny Bananas, Olivia Kaiser, Jordan Wiseley, Wes Bergmann, Tori Deal, Nurys Mateo, and Nia Moore. The Challenge reunion host Maria Menounos and many fans also contributed to the campaign.
Nelson’s castmate Veronica Portillo also donated and was one of his castmates who shared the link and details with her followers. The tweet resulted in a bit of backlash as critics responded.
Some of it seemed due to Nelson’s appearance on reality TV and his having famous friends who could help out, with some critics indicating they and others had to pay their own bills and nobody was assisting them.
The campaign has a stated goal of raising $200,000 for Nelson’s medical bills. As of this writing, GoFundMe has reached $52,200 in donations toward that goal. While that was the initial amount Nelson needed, it will increase with another surgery and additional hospital care.
The Challenge: World Championship episodes arrive Wednesdays on Paramount Plus.