University Hospital has received calls and letters from around the world for actor Tony Danza, seriously injured Thursday in a Deer Valley skiing accident.
Danza, 42, remained in stable condition in the hospital's surgical intensive care unit late Friday after undergoing 3 1/2 hours of surgery to repair spinal injuries."We're getting lots and lots of cards, not only from friends and business associates, but from fans," said Frank Lieberman, a publicist for the hospital.
Lieberman said there also have been numerous inquiries about delivering gifts to Danza, but because he is in intensive care Danza is unable to receive most of those.
Doctors will fit the actor with a back brace Saturday or Sunday, probably allowing him to walk for the first time since the accident. He is expected to be moved out of intensive care Monday but will likely remain hospitalized for another eight to 10 days, said Lieberman.
Inquiries from news organizations have been steady, said the publicist, many coming from as far away as Europe, where Danza's sitcom "Who's the Boss?" is popular, though its prime-time run in the United States ended some time ago.
Reuters news service, a major provider of information to Europe, has called to ask about Danza's progress, said Lieberman, as have People magazine and major U.S. network affiliates in Los Angeles.
In addition to breaking a vertebrae in his back, Danza also suffered six broken ribs, a punctured lung and bruising of internal organs after skiing over a rock and striking a tree at the resort, which is about 35 miles east of the Salt Lake Valley.
Danza, who owns a Deer Valley condominium with his wife, Tracy, has been skiing for four years.
Deer Valley, like other Wasatch Mountain ski resorts, has received less snowfall than usual this year, creating skiing conditions that are less than ideal.
Danza came to fame as a star of the television series "Taxi" and recently completed a film called "Angels in the Outfield" with Danny Glover.
He was skiing with a friend when the accident happened. The companion had a cellular telephone and called the Ski Patrol for help, said Lieberman.
Danza's 22-year-old son, Marc, broke his right leg in a similar accident at Deer Valley on Tuesday.