05-09-20, 16:43
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re: FINAL Report on Schumachers' Health as Brother Ralf Speaks Out
Michael Schumachers' Managers' Heartbreaking Explanation for Secrecy Around His Condition
- Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher suffered devastating injuries in a ski accident on 29 December, 2013, while he was with his then 14-year-old son, Mick
Daily Mirror UK, 5 SEP 2020.
Michael Schumacher chats to Jean Todt (Image: Action Images)
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers to ever have lived.
Michael Schumacher won a record breaking seven championship, five of them consectively and has roared to victory more times than any other driver on the track.
But just a year after his retirement, the racing legend suffered a devastating injury in a ski accident and has never been seen in public since.
Updates on his condition are rare and contain few details, leaving Schucmacher's millions of fans around the world wondering if he will ever recover.
In July, former Ferrari boss Jean Todt, paid Schumacher a visit and gave his supporters hope that he would one day be able to make a public appearance.
Todt - the former team principal at Ferrari who now works as President of the FIA, F1's governing body - told the Mail on Sunday that he paid a visit to see Schumacher as he continues to recover in Geneva, Switzerland.
He said: "He is fighting. I hope the world will be able to see him again. That is what he and his family are working towards."
After starting karting as a child, the 51-year-old worked his way up to Formula One, spending most of his career driving for Mercedes.
However, he did switch to Ferrari in 1996, who had last won the championship in 1979, and transformed them into one of the most successful teams in the sport.
Even after he retired in 2006, he couldn't get the sport out of his blood and returned to the track just four years later.
Two years later he announced his career as a racing driver really was over for good and Britain's Lewis Hamilton replaced him at Mercedes.
In an emotional speech announcing his decision, Schumacher said while he still felt "able to compete with the best drivers" he wasn't sure if he had the "motivation and energy which is necessary to go on".
Then, on December 29, 2013, while skiing with his then 14-year-old son, Mick, Schumacher suffered a devastating accident.
The father and son was skiing down the Combe de Saulire above Meribel in the French Alps.
It was while they were crossing an unsecured off-piste area that Schumacher, an accomplished skiier, fell and hit his head on a rock.
His life was saved by his ski helmet and the racing legend was airlifted to hospital and underwent two operations to save him.
Schumacher was placed in a medically induced coma and his doctors said his condition was stable.
By June the following year, it was reported that Schumacher had regained consciousness and he was transferred to a hospital for rehab.
He was allowed home in September of that year, where his rehab has continued, but where updates about his condition have been few and far between.
In January this year, a neurosurgeon has claimed Schumacher's condition has "deteriorated" since the accident just over six years ago.
"All as a result of the brain trauma he suffered."
There finally seemed to be a glimmer of hope when reports earlier in July claimed the F1 ace was to undergo stem cell surgery within days.
It gave hope to Schumacher's fans around the world but just days later the claims seemed to be false.
While his family maintained their silence they are thought to have not even considered the procedure during the coronavirus pandemic.
His devoted wife, Corinna, and management team have always insisted his health is a private issue and have remained tight-lipped about what, if any, progress the racing legend has made since his injury.
Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm lifted the lid on why updates have been few and far between at a meeting of media professionals back in March 2016.
She said: "In general the media have never reported on Michael and Corinna's private life. When he was in Switzerland, for example, it was clear he was a private individual.
"Once in a long discussion Michael said to me 'you don't need to call me for the next year, I'm disappearing.'
"I think it was his secret dream to be able to do that some day.
That's why now I still want to protect his wishes in that I don't let anything get out."
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