Lamar Odom
Lamar Odom celebrated his 36th birthday inside a Los Angeles hospital on Friday. In this file photo, then Los Angeles Lakers' Lamar Odom and his wife, television personality Khloe Kardashian sit courtside as they attend the 2011 BBVA All-Star Celebrity basketball game as a part of the NBA All-Star basketball weekend in Los Angeles, in February 18, 2011. Reuters

It has been a rollercoaster ride of victories and setbacks on the road to recovery for former NBA star Lamar Odom. After waking up from a four-day coma and making miraculous progress, Lamar reportedly had to go through two emergency surgeries this week.

On Thursday, Oct. 22, a representative from the Odom family, Lamar’s maternal aunt JaNean Mercer, released a statement expressing the family's gratitude to everyone who had sent their love and support for Lamar. They also mentioned how delighted they are that he is making what appears to be a miraculous progress.

“Lamar's courageous improvement continues on the incline in Los Angeles. He is beginning to gradually flourish both mentally and physically,” read the statement, which was shared by the Los Angeles Times. Lamar was airlifted to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. earlier this week after being discharged from Sunrise Hospital in Nevada, where he was initially confined.

“His use of speech has increased and he's more cognitively responsive,” continued the statement. Unfortunately, things appeared to take a turn in the wrong direction on the same day, shortly after the statement was made public.

TMZ reports that Lamar underwent two emergency surgeries in his chest area. It is unclear what prompted the surgeries and if his heart or lungs were involved. It was earlier believed that many of his major organs have been damaged due to his medical emergency.

Lamar’s ordeal started last Tuesday, Oct. 13, when he was found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel. He has since been improving but several setbacks have also been reported, including the latest surgeries.

On the upside, he and his wife Khloe Kardashian have decided to call off their divorce. The papers were first filed back in December 2013 and after years of delays, the medical emergency has pushed them to give their union another go.

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