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Alves Recovering Well and has No Plans on Retiring Following Ruptured Kidney

By: Justin Felisko

Silvano Alves rides TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co’s MAGA for 87.25 during the second round of the Nashville PBR Unleash the Beast. Photo by Andy Watson

PUEBLO, Colo. – Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves’ mind was racing as he laid in turmoil inside Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, earlier this month.

“What are they doing?”

“What is going to happen next?”

“Are they going to do surgery?”

“What is happening?”

Never before in his career did Alves have to spend seven days in a hospital, and Alves would admittedly grow more frustrated with each passing day.

“Being in a hospital for anyone is not a good thing,” Alves told PBR.com with the help of Miriaham Garcia translating on Thursday. “You just don’t want to be in a hospital. That obviously means it is something bad. More than anything, it was frustrating. I just kept praying that I would get better soon and for the doctors to figure out what is happening and fix me so I could go home.

“I was thinking about my children, and I wanted to go home for my children. Being home would be so much better than being in the hospital.”

Alves, though, understood the severity of his injuries from the moment he was admitted to Mercy Hospital late on Sept. 14 after Southern Style stepped on his left kidney during Round 2 of the PFIWestern.com Invitational.

Sports Medicine tend to Silvano Alves during the second round of the Springfield PBR Unleash the Beast. Photo by Andy Watson

Dr. Tandy Freeman explained to Alves the possibility that doctors may need to remove his kidney, which would have almost certainly ended his career.

Doctors, however, wound up not needing to remove Alves’ kidney, which was “broken into several pieces.” Doctors performed a procedure through the femoral vein to help stop internal bleeding.

“At the very beginning, when it first happened, Tandy did tell me there was a big chance I was going to lose (my kidney),” Alves said. “They would have to do some tests and check internally to see what percentage could be saved and what percentage would have to be removed, but we knew that at the beginning, and Tandy did explain to me there was a very high risk. So I am just thankful to God. I kept my faith in God. That is the most important thing. That is what got me through this. Because of Him, that is why I am still here, and hopefully I can continue my career.

“God willing, I will come back stronger to do what I want to do and what I love doing.”

Alves underwent another minor procedure at Mercy Hospital a few days later to once again help with some bleeding, and he also had a stent inserted into his ureter. He was released from the hospital on Sept. 21.

The 31-year-old then made the seven-hour drive home to Decatur, Texas, with his wife, Evelin. The husband and wife stopped for the night in Oklahoma City before then finishing the journey home on Sept. 22.

Evelin was a pillar of strength throughout her husband’s stay in the hospital. She made sure to stay by Silvano’s side just as she has done throughout her husband’s career.

Her love and support continues to mean so much to Silvano, who also wanted to publicly thank Paulo Crimber for being there with him until Evelin made it to Springfield.

“Not just now, but from the beginning she has been there with me,” Alves said. “It is easy to be with somebody when they are winning and at the top, the hardest part is when they are down and at their worst. This is definitely one of those times when she was at my side, and she has been at my side all the time.

“I have no words to describe what she means to me and what she has done for me my whole life.”

Alves met with a specialist in the Dallas region that Freeman referred him to this week. All signs are showing him doing well in his recovery.

He will likely follow-up with Freeman in two weeks and will continue to meet with his specialist.

“The doctor checked everything internally and from what he can see it all looks good and it is getting better,” Alves continued. “I am definitely getting better.”

 
Alves is not going to put a timetable on when he may return to bull riding, but it is certainly obvious his 2019 season is over.

The original diagnosis by Freeman was that Alves would be out for 3 to 6 months. Alves says he plans on following the advice of Freeman and is focusing first and foremost on his overall health and well-being.

“I am not thinking at all about standings, a championship, a title, rankings or anything,” Alves said. “Right now, I am just thinking about my recovery and getting better in my health. I am putting my faith in God. When He decides it is time for me to come back, and I am ready, whether it is 3 months, 6 months – whatever it is – I will be ready. That is all I am thinking about – my health. When I am 100 percent to come back, then I will do so and do what I know I am capable of doing.”

Some have wondered if Alves would consider retiring because of the serious injury.

This is now the second time in four years that Alves has had to sit out multiple months because of an injury.

Alves’ bid at a record-setting fourth world title came to an end in 2015 when he broke his left hip and underwent surgery. The Pilar do Sul, Brail, bull rider returned later that season and finished 12th in the world standings.

However, Alves has yet to regain his world title dominant form ever since – riding only 36.98 percent of his bulls compared to 59.52% at the time of his broken hip.

Alves laughs off any talk of retirement.

“No. I did not think about that,” Alves said. “This is normal. This is something that can happen to everyone in the sport. Whether you are at the top, No. 1 in the standings or last in the standings. It happens to everybody. Whether you are older, or are barely new and are just starting out riding the best. It happens to everybody.

“This is not something that affects me thinking about it. Of course, I don’t wish this upon anybody, but if you are in this sport, you know it is something that comes with this sport. You can’t live thinking about it. You have to put your faith in God. God puts everything in your path for a reason in your life. What God wants it to be, it will be.”

Alves also explained there is obviously a difference between the severity of a ruptured kidney and a hip fracture.

“It is two different injuries. Two different scenarios,” Alves said. “The hip was more physical, so it affected me more physically. This was not a break. That was a break; therefore, it affected my body. When I came back, I was more tense. I was not flexible. It affected me more physically to come back. Even though this one is more serious when it comes to the magnitude of it. This injury was a lot more dangerous because it was internal, but physically it will not affect me to come back because there is nothing that is going to remain from it before.”

Alves will still qualify for a 10th consecutive World Finals this year despite missing the remainder of the season.

He was ranked No. 22 in the world standings at the time of his injury, and remains there today with three Unleash The Beast events remaining.

 
Alves has nothing left to prove in his career. He is tied with three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes for the most world titles in PBR history, and he also has a World Finals event victory on his resume thanks to his 6-for-6 performance at the 2014 World Finals.

So what is driving the second-richest bull rider in PBR history ($6.1 million) to come back in 2020?

“I do it because I love what I do,” Alves said. “I love riding bulls. I love being around the ranch life. I love being a cowboy. I never did it for the fame. I never did it for the money. It has never been about that for me. I just love this sport. I love what I do for a living. I always imagined myself later in life, when the time comes that I have to retire, to have a ranch with a lot of animals and to be able to live off that.

“Thank God I was able to change my life doing what I love. It has completely changed my life for the better. I want to leave for my children something that will change their life and give them a better opportunity. I never did it for money or fame. I just did it because I loved it and I still do. I don’t think I can live without it.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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