MESSAGE BOARD Share your best wishes for his quick recovery

• Mainers offer blood donations

June 24, 1999
Web posted at: 12:07 p.m. EDT (1607 GMT)

LEWISTON, Maine -- Author Stephen King underwent 10 hours of surgery Wednesday to repair his shattered hip in a procedure that was "within a millimeter of perfect," his surgeon said.

King -- who suffered serious injuries to his leg and hip when he was struck by a minivan over the weekend -- was listed in serious but stable condition after the operation at Central Maine Medical Center.

He was groggy but alert, communicating with his family, officials said. His wife and three children were on hand.

"His spirits are pretty good. He's a pretty resilient guy and has a lot of support from his family. His family certainly appreciates all the support from his fans around the world," said David Brown, the orthopedic trauma surgeon who performed the operation.

The 10-hour surgery was to repair his hip-joint socket that was broken in several parts. It was the last of three major surgeries this week. He is scheduled for minor surgery on Friday to check over the previous operations.

Randall Dustin, communications director at the hospital, said the hospital's Web site is still getting flooded with visits from cyberspace. Hits at the site were up 3,400 percent earlier in the week, and Dustin estimated it's still at those levels.

"We're getting messages from every imaginable place on the globe," said Dustin. "The good will that everyone has expressed has just been wonderful."

Mainers offer blood donations

While King was in surgery Wednesday, Maine residents were lining up to donate blood for the best-selling horror writer, hospital officials said.

"People up in Bangor are volunteering to give blood," Dustin said. "His blood needs are actually taken care of here, but it's always a good idea to give blood, so I think those gestures are greatly appreciated," he added.

Officials have said it will be about two weeks until King can walk with an assistive device and about nine months until he is fully rehabilitated.