Michael Schumacher 'Cries When he Hears his Children's Voices'...
His 46th Birthday was on Saturday...
Formula One icon cannot speak but can communicate with his eyes, report claims
Fans of Michael Schumacher gathered outside the hospital in Greenoble to mark his 45th birthday last year
By Telegraph Sport
Michael Schumacher cries when he hears his wife and children's voices, and communicates using his eyes, it has been claimed.
The seven-time Formula One champion will turn 46 on Saturday, 13 months after the skiing accident which left him in a coma for six months.
He will spend his birthday with his wife, son and daughter at their home by Lake Geneva. He has been there since leaving hospital in September, and his wife Corinna has said he is now in a process of recovery "which will presumably take a long time".
New details of the progress of that recovery have been reported in the Italian media.
Newspaper Corriere della Serra said Schumacher is capable of demonstrating emotion through tears.
It said: "Sometimes a tear rolls down Michael's face. He cries when he hears the voice of his children or his wife.
"Michael has his eyes open but he is often looking into a void. In recent times he has been able to recognise the familiar faces of his family but he cannot communicate with them.
"He does not speak and he is not able to perform movements independently. He reacts to external stimuli but for now can only answer a familiar voice by opening his eyes."
A separate report in the magazine
Autosprint said Schumacher was able to sit up.
Editor-in-chief Alberto Sabbatini, who said his information was provided by "those who know and see him", said:
"The good news is that Michael is not stuck in a bed. When not undergoing physical therapy to avoid muscle atrophy, he sits in a chair in front of the windows of his villa, overlooking on one side the snowy peaks of the Swiss Alps, and on the other the shores of Lake Geneva."
Schumacher suffered severe head injuries after striking a rock whilst skiing off piste with his son Mick at the French resort of Meribel.
He had two brain operations at a hospital in Greenoble before being moved to hospital in Lausanne last June.
In September, his manager Sabine Kehm said:
“Considering the severe head injuries he suffered, progress has been made in the past weeks and months. There is still, however, a long and difficult road ahead.”
A surgeon who has treated Schumacher said in October the German would need years to recover fully.