Melancon undergoing physical therapy as he works to recover from stroke

Retired jockey Larry Melancon is undergoing twice-a-day physical therapy while continuing to recover in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., from the partial paralysis and other effects from a stroke he suffered earlier this month while vacationing in North Carolina.

Melancon’s wife, Denise, updated his condition last weekend in a lengthy Facebook post.

“He is a worker and tries very hard,” she wrote. “He still has the left-side paralysis … we are taking one day at a time.”

She added that his spirits have been lifted by the numerous calls and text messages he has received.

“He loves them all,” she wrote.

Melancon, 61, underwent six hours of surgery at Mission Neurology Hospital in Asheville, N.C., after falling ill March 3. He was flown March 12 to the Frazier Rehab Institute in Louisville, according to retired Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day, a close friend. A GoFundMe account to defray his medical expenses has raised nearly $29,000 through last weekend.

Melancon retired in July 2010 from a riding career that spanned nearly four decades. He won more than 2,800 races and had more than $60 million in mount earnings.