DEBBIE DRAKE HAS SURGERY

DENVER —  Debbie Drake, a television physical-fitness personality during the 1960s and ‘70s, came through surgery for a shattered leg and a procedure to restore a collapsed lung at Rose Medical Center here Wednesday.

Drake, who does not reveal her age, was taken to a recovery room following the afternoon surgery on her left leg, hospital spokeswoman Peggy Ryan said. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Francis Yamamoto said Wednesday’s surgery involved repair to ligaments and cartilage in the leg. He said her condition was good.

Her right lung was discovered collapsed Saturday night as she was awaiting surgery, performed Sunday, on her left ankle. A device was implanted to inflate the lung and allow it to recover.

On Sunday, surgeons worked on her foot and lower left leg. She said muscles were redistributed over the bone, and a skin graft was taken from the right thigh.

Drake was struck in a hit-and-run accident on March 27 as she stood on a sidewalk in Matamoros, Mexico.

In addition to a home on South Padre Island, Tex., Drake has a residence in Cherry Hills Village in the Denver area and a 50-acre ranch at Castle Rock, south of Denver.

Her syndicated programs, “The Debbie Drake Show” and later “Debbie Drake’s Dancercize,” aired from 1960-1978. She also authored four books.

Drake is expected to be hospitalized for several weeks, and it probably will be several months before she can walk again.