After undergoing successful brain surgery Friday night to remove a slow-growing tumor, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Matt Tifft announced in a video late Saturday night he has already been released from the hospital.
Tifft, 20, provided a video update on Twitter saying doctors originally expected him to be discharged on Monday, but his recovery had proceeded well enough for early release. Tifft said he already has begun eating solid food and walking and estimated he would have his stitches taken out in four weeks or more.
No official timetable has been given for his return to the track.
Update: have been released from hospital pic.twitter.com/FlWlReVEUA
— Matt Tifft (@matt_tifft) July 3, 2016
Tifft originally was scheduled to compete in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona but during an evaluation for a back injury early in the week, doctors discovered the slow-growing tumor in his brain.
The native of Hinckley, Ohio, decided to have an MRI on his head due to having lived with a sensitivity to light most of his life and having suffered a concussion when he was younger.
Tifft told ESPN that the tumor was roughly the size of a half-dollar and was near his right temple, located an inch into his brain at its deepest point.
Finally awake for a bit. Here's the stitches to hold my head together. Sounds like they got the whole tumor out!👍👍 pic.twitter.com/c4JTgh8Cw2
— Matt Tifft (@matt_tifft) July 3, 2016
Also- just started walking again which is a huge step in recovery process and am now watching the race from bed! pic.twitter.com/imUuWqdlcS
— Matt Tifft (@matt_tifft) July 3, 2016