Sang Lan, the Chinese gymnast who was critically injured during a practice session at the Goodwill Games last week, continues to make slow but steady progress in recuperating from a partially separated spine at the Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow, though her doctors are still unsure whether she will ever walk again.

Since undergoing a 4 1/2 hour surgery to stabilize her neck on Saturday, July 25, the gymnast, who at the time of her accident was the Chinese National Champion at vaulting, has regained some feeling in her toes.

The surgery, along with a neck brace used to stabilize her spine, has allowed Sang Lan to sit up in her bed during lengthy visits with her parents who flew in from China.

During the surgery, Dr. Vincent Leone, director of spine surgery at the hospital, found severe damage to three of the gymnast's vertebrae and a disruption of the spine at the base of the neck.

After stabilizing the area and removing a large number of bone fragments, dural pulsations, which send messages between the brain and nervous system, returned,

Dr. Leone said that was "a good sign."

A piece of bone taken from the gymnast's left hip was then grafted to the injured portion of her spine, so that all the bones involved would ultimately fuse into one piece.

Given the success of the operation and the very evident courageousness of the patient -- she reportedly spent a great deal of time comforting her parents during their first visit, Sang Lan's rehabilitation was to begin on Monday at Mt. Sinia Hospital in Manhattan.

Nassau County Executive Thomas S. Gulotta, who has twice visited the gymnast in the hospital, talked of her indomitable spirit during a press conference there last week.

"She asked for one thing and said, 'Would it be possible for me to watch the Goodwill Games tonight.' The hospital talked to the Goodwill Games and they have been so supportive and so good in this regard, running a feed into her room so that she can see the games first-hand."

Gulotta continued, "During my most recent visit with her, I said, 'I don't know if you remember, but I visited you last Wednesday, shortly after the accident.' And she looked at me and smiled and said, 'To me, all Americans look alike.'"

Also during the press conference, the county executive read one of the thousands of letters sent to the gymnast since she was hospitalized.

"'Dear Sang. I am very sorry about the accident. You are a beautiful girl and life doesn't seem fair, but God will give you strength to make the best of the situation.

"'The older I get I realize life is a test and all you could do is keep your chin up and pray for guidance. I hope you recover soon and I will pray for you,'" Gulotta read.

The county executive and Senator Alphonse D'Amato were instrumental in another part of Sang Lan's treatment, securing an experimental nerve regenerating drug for her from the Fidia Pharmaceutical Company in Washington, D.C.

Fidia had initially declined a hospital request to send the medication, because technicians there were unable to reach the company president who is vacationing in Florida.

That decision was almost literally life-threatening, because in order for the drug, Sygen, to work, it must be administered to the patient within the first 72 hours after an injury occurs.

Upon being told of the refusal, the county executive turned to Senator D'Amato for help and together they called upon the pharmaceutical company to reverse its decision.

Shortly thereafter they were advised that the company would ship the drug the following morning. It is currently being administered in the Medical Center's level-one trauma center.

The accident, which resulted in the gymnast suffering a partially severed spinal cord, occurred shortly before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21.

At the time, Lan was practicing at the vaulting horse, attempting to do a handstand on the horse after a running start.

The movement, a fairly common one in gymnastics, typically ends with the gymnast's body arching over her hands, allowing her to land on her feet on the other side of the apparatus.

"I think, in regard to the accident, the best analogy for a person who's never done gymnastics is the experience of jumping off a diving board.

"In this case, say, you dove off the board, expecting to enter the water hands-first, but the action of the board created more rotation than expected, causing you to go in a little more on your back.

"When Sang Lan left the vaulting board and her body was turning over, the plan was to put her hands on the horse, turn over and land on her feet. She went a little bit past where she intended and hit her head on the mat. It was not a difficult maneuver that she was performing. It was simply a mistake."

The emergency call was received by the Medical Center just minutes after the accident occurred, and the gymnast herself was in the hospital emergency room just 12 minutes after her terrible fall.

After being treated at the scene by emergency medical technicians and doctors for the games, Sang Lan was transported to the hospital by the Woodmere Fire Department, one of 40 fire departments volunteering their services to the Goodwill Games.

Both Mike Plant, president of the Goodwill Games, and Tu Mingde, secretary general of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said that the quick response by the medical staff at the scene and at the hospital greatly increased the chances that the gymnast will one day walk again.

Plant said that anyone wishing to send cards or letters to the gymnast, should send them to the Nassau County Medical Center at 2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, New York 11554.

In addition, a special fund has been established for the gymnast. Donations should be made payable to Good Will for Sang Lan, and sent to 128 East Broadway, P.O. Box 1177, New York, New York 10002.