'I want to see Robbie Williams'
2008-06-11 21:07
Amstetten - Kerstin Fritzl, an Austrian woman born in an underground cellar to her incestuous father, has awoken from her coma and wants to see Robbie Williams in concert, her doctors said on Wednesday.
The 19-year old was one of seven children born to Elisabeth Fritzl, now 42, during the 24 years she was held as a sex slave by her father Josef Fritzl, 73, in a specially furnished cellar in the family home.
It was Kerstin's hospitalisation in April that brought to light one of the world's most macabre incest cases.
"She's expressed lots of wishes, for example to take a boat trip," Berthold Kepplinger, who heads the Amstetten-Mauer psychiatric clinic where Kerstin is now being looked after, told a news conference.
"She also wants to go to a Robbie Williams concert," said Albert Reiter, who treated her earlier at Amstetten hospital.
While still on the life support machine, "she would sometimes listen to Robbie Williams until three in the morning. I had to get her to stop. And it was at that point that I said, it's time to press ahead with her mobilisation", Reiter said.
'Normal' lives
The young woman was admitted to hospital in an unconscious state on April 19 and placed in an artificially-induced coma after suffering multiple organ failure, including liver, kidney and lungs.
Three of Fritzl's incestuous offspring remained incarcerated with Elisabeth in the 55-square-metre dungeon, while three others were taken upstairs to live "normal" lives with Fritzl and his wife. A seventh died shortly after birth.
Kerstin, who has made a rapid and remarkable recovery, awoke from her coma on May 15, said Reiter.
"She opened her eyes and showed emotions for the first time, we laughed and she laughed," he said.
Doctors removed her tubing on June 1 and after that, "it went very fast, Kerstin made great progress every day", Reiter said.
Full recovery
The young woman was finally released from hospital on Sunday and reunited with her mother and siblings at the Amstetten-Mauer clinic where they have been staying since their release, the family's lawyer, Christian Herbst added.
The young woman will remain under medical and psychiatric care for a while and will receive multiple vaccinations to boost her immune system, Kepplinger said.
"It's obvious she's also traumatised by what happened and she will need psychotherapy," he said.
But he noted: "A full recovery is possible and is already almost complete."
Herbst meanwhile called on the media to respect the family's privacy and allow them to move about freely.
"The family still can't go out and enjoy nature. It's especially important to the children who were locked up to go out into the nature and experience new things," he said.
Bonding
The two sides of the family, which never met until two months ago, were now getting to know each other and bonding, said Herbst.
The children were being tutored by three teachers at the clinic and the eldest boy, aged 18, had "made surprising progress", said Kepplinger.
But the various members of the family were still having to adapt to each other's rhythms. While the former captives were used to a slower pace, the others need more action.
"For some a passing cloud is already a big event, the others don't even see such things anymore," said Kepplinger.
The family have now moved out of a pavilion at the clinic and into a specially furnished flat in the grounds.
Reiter refused to comment on claims that Kerstin had also been abused by Josef Fritzl.
- SAPA