Lamar Odom News: Son Posts 1st Pic After Overdose & Rehab Delay — Khloe Kardashian Details Brain Damage Amid Split

Lamar Odom dominated the headlines in his life-or-death battle in October, when he was discovered unconscious in a brothel in Nevada following a drug overdose. Khloe Kardashian rushed to his side, and because their divorce had never been finalized, she took over the role of making his medical decisions as his wife. Since then, Lamar has remained hospitalized after being transported to Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai medical center. But although news of Odom continued to be reported, from the details of his drug overdose to the severe brain damage following 12 strokes and the effects of those drugs, no photos have surfaced — until now.

Just in time to go around the world amid New Year celebrations, Lamar Jr. posted the first picture of Odom since prior to his overdose. The son of the once-great NBA superstar made it clear that he was grateful for his father’s survival, reported the Washington Post.

“Christmas with my pops. Here’s to 2016. Blessed,” wrote Lamar Jr. on Instagram, sharing a photo that subsequently was tweeted by various sources.

First photo of Lamar Odom since his near death experience. Photo was shared by his son. We're glad he's doing good. pic.twitter.com/22i14Ygkvj

— WORLDSTARHIPHOP (@WORLDSTAR) January 1, 2016

But despite the touching caption, his father continues to have problems recovering. At 36, Odom still faces challenges in terms of memory loss and walking without support. In addition to Lamar Jr., he has a daughter, both of whom he shares with Liza Morales, his former wife. However, as noted, Odom is still legally married to Khloe.

As for his progress since the discovery of his body in the brothel, Lamar faces a long road to recovery, admitted Kardashian, according to News Limited.

She also is credited with flying Odom’s children, including 13-year-old Lamar Jr., to Los Angeles to visit with their father. But in her role of managing his medical decisions, the reality TV star also is painfully aware of how much lies ahead before Odom can be pronounced cured, if ever, describing his progress in detail.

“He is off all the machines that help his organs but he has such a long way to go. He’s learning how to walk again and feed himself again and put sentences together. Cognitively there is a lot… it’s along long road ahead. He couldn’t put words together today. But he understands.”

However, an indication that his progress is slower than expected came along with the happy holiday visit from his children. Lamar initially was expected to be well enough to leave the hospital and start a rehab program prior to Christmas, according to E! News.

Move To Rehab For Lamar Odom Delayed In Setback

“The family is continuing to be optimistic about having him into a rehab center before Christmas,” a source told E! in mid-December. “His kids are flying out to be with him.”

And they had hoped that the visit would take place at a new rehab center in Calabasas, to which they planned to move him. However, that optimism vanished has dimmed as he continues to have so many health problems that he remains in Cedars Sinai, with the move to rehab delayed.

E! News also cited a source as revealing Odom is noticeably “struggling” to go through the rehabilitation treatments at the hospital, primarily dependent on either a wheelchair or a walker. His children, Lamar Jr. and Destiny, who is 17, had previously visited Odom during his Las Vegas hospitalization.

With all this happening in Odom’s life, how is Khloe planning on handling the fact that she remains his legal wife at this point? Kardashian has created a plan to move gradually away from Lamar, according to Radar Online.

The 31-year-old reality TV star recognizes that no simple way exists to inform Odom she won’t play the role of his legal wife in the near future.

Lamar Odom Is ‘So Sensitive,’ Making Changes Challenging

“It’s a delicate situation, because Lamar’s so sensitive,” a source told Radar. “She’s finding the whole strain of running his finances and medical planning way too much to bear, since so much of her own life has had to go on hold.”

But trying to live her own life while supporting the 36-year-old former athlete has become too much. Although by his side 24/7 initially, particularly after the terrifying discovery that he was near death after the overdose, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star feels she’s more than done her part to help him.

“Divorce is still going forward. Doesn’t mean I won’t be there through sickness and health. I’ve proven that,” she declared to those who criticized her for seeking to take time away from his hospital room.

Kardashian also wants to hold onto her boyfriend James Harden, added Radar‘s insider.

“He has been a saint, but he’s getting extremely frustrated at still playing second fiddle to Lamar,” explained the source. “That’s why Khloe’s had to start the withdrawal process — she’s terrified of driving James any further away.”

[Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]