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CNN Live At Daybreak

Niki Taylor on Road to Recovery

Aired June 22, 2001 - 08:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: An update now on supermodel Niki Taylor. She is still hospitalized in Atlanta, but has been moved out of the intensive care unit. Taylor was injured critically in an auto accident back in April. And we're told she is doing much better now.

Lou Taylor is Niki Taylor's manager -- no relations there. She joins us this morning from Boca Raton, Florida.

Good morning.

LOU TAYLOR, MANAGER FOR NIKI TAYLOR: Good morning. How are you?

LIN: This is indeed good news. How did you get the news? And what are doctors saying now about her progress?

TAYLOR: Well, the family received the news from Dr. Jeffrey Nicholas, who's been taking care of Niki since the April 29 accident -- and really just had a miraculous upswing in recovery and really started to show steady progress over the last two weeks -- and felt that it was time to move her to a floor and start introducing food and mobility and some other types of physical therapy for her.

LIN: Do you think people really have an appreciation of what it means now for Niki Taylor to be headed for rehab? I mean, initially, the stories coming out, really -- it didn't look good for her.

TAYLOR: It really didn't look good for her. We really -- you know, we don't take anything for granted. And it's been a joy to serve her and her family during this time, especially with the good news. And, as we look at this and people and the doctors called her "the miracle," we really took that to heart. And being there firsthand and getting to see that, I really got to appreciate the joy of having her here with us.

LIN: How does she spend her days now?

TAYLOR: Well, right now, she is really trying to regain her strength. I think she's trying to just deal with and come to an understanding of all the support that she's had and the severity of the accident. Fortunate for us that we really have just gotten a chance to see all of this take place before our eyes.

LIN: Specifically, what is involved in her rehab? TAYLOR: Well, at this point in time, regaining her strength is very important, to get nutrition, her mobility back, her muscle strength back. But she's already about a week ahead of where they thought she would be, wanting to walk on her own, insisting to do things herself.

Niki is an amazing woman, with drive and determination. So that doesn't surprise me at all.

LIN: What does she say about her future? Does she want to return to modeling?

TAYLOR: We really have not talked about that. We've talked about her regaining her strength right now, getting home to her kids. We've definitely been continuing our investigation into the accident, and just taking it a day at a time.

LIN: Are you planning on suing the driver of that car?

TAYLOR: No, I wouldn't say that that's our motive right now. Niki's attorney, Stephen Screnci, has been conducting an investigation just to see what caused the severity of her injuries.

LIN: Well, looking at the accident scene, it seems pretty clear that it was pretty devastating.

TAYLOR: Yes.

LIN: And it's great news that she is now heading towards recovery. Thank you very much.

TAYLOR: Absolutely. You're very welcome.

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