Francesco Paoli of Fleshgod Apocalypse shares an update on his health

Francesco Paoli recently underwent a surgical procedure to ameliorate an impairment affecting his left hand. This intervention addresses ongoing physiological sequelae stemming from severe injuries sustained in a 2021 rock climbing incident. The initial trauma inflicted significant nerve damage, among other afflictions, necessitating a nerve autograft from his lower extremity to his elbow. This specific neurological impairment was surgically rectified in 2022. While the incident also resulted in chronic damage to a lower extremity, the present surgical focus is on improving the functionality of his left upper extremity. For this purpose, a tissue autograft originating from his iliac region was requisite. Paoli subsequently communicated his current physiological status through a public post. This disclosure included a visual representation comparing his pre- and post-operative physical conditions.

Hey everyone, sorry if I haven’t posted much lately, but as you know social media is not my cup of tea and I’m turning more and more into an old fart! Anyway, I felt like a health update was due to all the people who supported me after the accident I had in 2021 and kept doing so throughout my recovery which, as you can see, isn’t complete yet. Yes, after 5 years I’m still working on fixing what’s fixable and after sorting out my arm and foot, we finally moved on to my left hand.

Due to my ulnar nerve interruption, I basically lost sensation and most of the muscles that lie between the bones of my hand. Unfortunately, that is gonna stay; I accept it and worked out exotic solutions (like rubber bands) to keep doing what I love the most, playing.

But my hand was almost skeletal and we had to do something to protect the structures that were still working in there, like bones, ligaments, veins, tendons, etc… So a couple of weeks ago, I underwent another reconstruction surgery and here is my “new” hand! (Pics 7-12) They took some tissue from my hip and transplanted it into the “empty” areas of my hand. It looks and feels much better! Also, it’s super cool to know that thanks to science I have a piece of my leg in my arm and some hip in my hand, ahah! The surgery went well, but I’m not done yet. I will likely have to do another “refinement” next year, but it’s accounted for and planned in the band’s schedule so we won’t miss any show!

Again, I feel so fortunate and thankful to be here sharing more positive news with you all; it’s miraculous indeed. Yet, at the same time, my thoughts are constantly with all the guys (and I met a ton of great people in these last 5 years) who weren’t as lucky, unfortunately. They’re the true warriors, together with all the doctors, researchers, scientists, nurses, and so on who never surrendered to what idiots call fate despite the increasing lack of proper work conditions. There is no fate, there is no chance, there’s only the incredible complexity of life, and we should all embrace it with a big smile like they do every day.

Thank you all once again for sending me positive energy all the time and giving me the strength I needed to keep pushing, and thank you to my family, my friends, my bandmates, managers, crew and the people surrounding me for continuing to believe and never leaving me behind.
Back to riffs and blast beats, over.
Fra

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