Jeremy Renner's 'Strongest Motivator' to Recover is Daughter Ava, Says His Sports Physician (Exclusive)
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As Marvel star Jeremy Renner continues to heal from his January snowplow accident, Dr. Christopher Vincent shares details of his amazing recovery with PEOPLE
Jeremy Renner has the "drive and determination" to fully heal from the snowplow accident that nearly killed him on New Year's Day, says Dr. Christopher Vincent, who's been at the star's side through his remarkable recovery.
In the new issue of PEOPLE, Vincent—a chiropractic sports physician and trainer who has worked with the 52-year-old actor on and off since 2011—says he's impressed by the strides Renner is making. "I've seen so many people with injuries way less [severe] than Jeremy had, and they just give up," he says.
Renner's 10-year-old daughter Ava (whom he shares with ex-wife Sonni Pacheco), is "one of his strongest motivators," says Vincent. "You really reflect on life when something like this happens. It's like, 'Okay, what's important?'"
Related:Jeremy Renner Says He Wrote 'My Last Words to My Family' in the Hospital After Snowplow Accident
Family and friends were at the top of Renner's list—and just like the Avengers, they assembled to make his rehabilitation as comfortable as possible. "Everyone's played a huge role," says close friend and Rennervations exec producer Rory Millikin, who has been living at the actor's home in L.A. with Renner's mother, Valerie Cearly, to help care for him.
"You should see this house. It's overflowing," continues Millikin, who adds that the actor's sister Kym has been "quarterbacking everything" while Renner undergoes physical therapy for several hours each day. As for Millikin's duties? "My job is to create some laughter and joy. And cook badly," he quips.
His friend's goofy humor is welcome—and a good match for Renner's own sarcasm. "He uses humor to stay positive and keep himself healthy," says Vincent, who says it's important for recovery. "That helps so much."
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So does state-of-the-art medical equipment that now fills Renner's home. When the actor was still in the hospital, Kym contacted Vincent and told him, "'Jeremy wants to be back on his feet as quickly as possible,'" he remembers.
Vincent sprang into to action calling in medical equipment, turning Renner's home "into a full rehab center," he says.
"We use this incredible treadmill called the Boost Treadmill, which was developed by a dad and his son. The dad worked for NASA to help astronauts reintegrate on Earth's gravity," continues Vincent. "They gave us a treadmill, which was incredible."
The machine has helped Renner learn to walk again. "We can have him exercising at 20 percent of his body weight," says Vincent, who notes that Renner was "completely non-weight bearing" post-accident. "He had fractures on every limb."
Vincent is impressed that Renner, who suffered blunt chest trauma and more than 30 broken bones, has muscled through "excruciating" pain to make the progress he has. On April 10, the actor was able to walk into the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, aided by a cane.
Vincent or another physical therapist work with Renner for several hours each day, and though he's made considerable progress, the actor still has a long way to go to fully recover.
"We're still only maybe an eighth of the way there," he says. "We've only scratched the surface on the amount of work he's got left. Once the bones all heal, then we can really start to fire up the muscles, we really see what joints are damaged and what nerves are really damaged. We have to build back the strength."
But if anyone is up for the challenge, it's Renner. With time, "I 100 percent believe he'll be better than he was before," says Vincent.
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