Bolshoi boss struggles to regain sight after surgery
(01-22 20:09)
The Bolshoi ballet’s artistic director underwent successful plastic surgery today following a horrific sulphuric acid attack that left the former dancer barely able to see the fingers on his hand.
Doctors said Sergei Filin was receiving family visits after undergoing a high-tech procedure to remove lesions from the third-degree burns to the face he suffered when cornered outside his home on Thursday night, AFP reports.
“The operation was a success,’’ the Moscow city health department said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.
The violent incident and cast a spotlight on rivalries raging between superstars of the 237-year-old institution.
Filin – a principal dancer before moving into the artistic management side – said in his first detailed post-attack interview that he had felt threatened for several weeks.
“I associate what happened with my work,’’ Filin told the mass-circulation Komsomolskaya Pravda daily. “The only thing I blame myself for is carelessness,’’ he added. “I should have told the media about the threats right away, before New Year.’’
Friends said that Filin had told them about his car tyres being slashed and his social media account being hacked – and its explicit content republished – within the past few weeks.
Filin named no suspects in the interview while hinting darkly that he knew where the trouble was coming from.
He told the paper that “a single decision,’’ at the top could have ended both the infighting and threats against his life.
Doctors said the hooded assailant threw the sulphuric acid cocktail on the right side of Filin's face.
He begun recovering his vision first in the left eye, while his right could barely distinguish between shadows of dark and light.
Filin said he experiences moments of optimism when focus returns to his left eye enough for him to see the outlines of his hand.
``Sometimes I get to see all the fingers on my hand,'' Filin said. ``This fills me with optimism and hope.''
``I have three sons,'' he added. ``I want to see how they grow up and get up on their feet.''
|
|
|
|
