For Finland’s forward Joonas Pylsy, the last few days have been a nightmare. Just minutes before Finland’s game against Norway, a totally unpredicted series of events started.
Having missed Finland’s first two games, Joonas Pylsy was named in the roster against Norway but he had to leave the rink in the middle of the warm-up feeling dizzy and having muscle cramps. He was taken to the emergency room of the Swiss Arena and from there immediately to hospital. There he was diagnosed with TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) which is a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain. He is still at he hospital making his recovery.
– We wanted to come out briefly with the news as there have been lots of speculation. First, though, we wanted to get over the first critical days of recovery and make sure the situation is not deteriorating, Joonas Pylsy and his wife Tea say on the phone.
– The last few days have been a nightmare but Joonas’ condition is getting more stable and for the next months we will concentrate on recovery and rehabilitation. We now wish for privacy and we are not going to comment on the situation any further.
On Saturday, Joonas Pylsy sent Team Finland a video message and the response in the team’s WhatsApp group was flooding with heart symbols and expressions of well-wishes. Officially, Pylsy was withdrawn from the team on Friday as Peter Kotilainen was nominated to replace him.
Cold symptoms kept Joonas Pylsy out of Finland’s games against Switzerland and Slovakia. On Sunday, he went through a thorough set of tests at a local hospital and was declared fit to play by an experienced doctor.
– There has been speculation about whether the flu had to do with the symptoms I experienced Iater. We want to deny those rumors as the flu had nothing to do with it.
Joonas Pylsy who comes from Vaajakoski right by Jyväskylä, plays for Swiss SV Wiler-Ersigen. He has representd the Finnish national team in 70 games scoring 47 goals and 35 assists. He is a two-time World Champion and has won four Finnish league titles.