# Off-Topic Discussion > Sports >  Schumy Critically Ill

## alan45

F1 champion Michael Schumacher 'critical' after ski fall
Breaking news
Michael Schumacher, seven-time Formula 1 world champion, is in a "critical condition" after a skiing accident, says the French hospital at which he is being treated.

The 44-year-old German "was suffering a serious brain trauma with coma on his arrival" the hospital in the south-east city of Grenoble said in a statement.

Schumacher's management confirmed his critical condition, reports said.

He was skiing off-piste with his son in the Alps when the accident occurred.

Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he fell and hit his head against a rock, Meribel resort director Christophe Gernignon-Lecomte said earlier.

Early reports had said his condition was not life-threatening.

Mr Gernignon-Lecomte said Schumacher was conscious when he was attended to by two ski patrollers who requested helicopter evacuation to the nearby valley town of Moutiers.

He was subsequently moved to the bigger facility at Grenoble.

The German, who is due to turn 45 on 3 January, retired from F1 for a second time in 2012.

Professor Gerard Saillant, a close ally and friend of Schumacher, and his former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt, are at the hospital.

Prof Saillant is an expert in brain and spine injury. He oversaw Schumacher's medical care when the German broke his leg in the 1999 British GP.

The hospital statement was signed by the facility's neurosurgeon, the professor in charge of its anaesthesia/revival unit, and the hospital's deputy director. :Clap: 




So Sad

----------


## Siobhan

Completely devastated by this. Been checking the news every hour. It is not looking good. Still in coma and no further news. 
Come on Schumacher, you are a fighter and you can pull through.. think of you and your family

----------

Chloe O'brien (31-12-2013), lizann (30-12-2013)

----------


## Siobhan

Completely devastated by this. Been checking the news every hour. It is not looking good. Still in coma and no further news. 
Come on Schumacher, you are a fighter and you can pull through.. think of you and your family

----------


## lizann

hope he pulls through legend of a man

----------


## alan45

The family of German motor-racing champion Michael Schumacher are at his bedside as he fights for life following a skiing accident in the French Alps.

Schumacher's manager, Sabine Kehm, said his wife, Corinna, daughter Gina Maria and son Mick are in a state of shock at the Grenoble hospital.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion suffered head injuries on Sunday in a fall at the resort of Meribel.

He has been put in a medically-induced coma to relieve pressure on his brain.

"The family is not doing very well, obviously. They are shocked," Sabine Kehm told reporters.

Prof Jean-Francois Payen, of Grenoble University Hospital's intensive care unit, told a news conference that they could not give a prognosis for the 44-year-old driver.

"He is in a critical state in terms of cerebral resuscitation. We are working hour by hour," he said.

Prof Payen said that if Schumacher had not been wearing a helmet "he wouldn't be here now".

"We had to operate urgently to release some pressure in his head," the anaesthetist said.

Neurosurgeon Stephan Chabardes said that a post-operative scan had shown "diffuse haemorrhagic lesions" on both sides of Schumacher's brain.

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Grenoble says there are precedents for people surviving such injuries.

Induced comas can last several weeks while a patient's condition is stabilised, she adds, and there can be many months of therapy in order to achieve as full a recovery as possible.

Doctors have lowered Schumacher's body temperature to 34-35C (93.2-95F) as part of the coma, slowing his metabolism to help reduce inflammation.

The driver had been skiing off-piste with his teenage son when he fell and hit his head on a rock.

He was first evacuated to a hospital in the nearby town of Moutiers.

Prof Chabardes said the driver was in an "agitated condition" on arrival in Moutiers and his neurological condition "deteriorated rapidly".

He was taken from Moutiers to the larger facility in Grenoble.

Messages of support have come from around the world.

A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she and her government were, like millions of Germans, "extremely shocked".

"We hope, with Michael Schumacher and with his family, that he can overcome and recover from his injuries," the spokesman said.

Former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, who recovered from life-threatening head injuries he suffered at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, wrote on Instagram: "I am praying for you my brother! I hope you have a quick recovery! God bless you, Michael."

On Monday some fans had gathered outside the hospital in Grenoble.

Nuravil Raimbekov, a student from Kyrgyzstan who is studying nearby, described Schumacher as an inspiration.

"I'm worried, of course... but I still hope, and I will pray for him," he said.

Schumacher, who turns 45 on 3 January, retired from F1 for a second time in 2012.

He won seven world championships and secured 91 race victories during his 19-year career.

The driver won two titles with Benetton, in 1994 and 1995, before switching to Ferrari in 1996 and going on to win five straight titles from 2000.

He retired in 2006, and was seriously hurt in a motorcycling accident in Spain three years later, during which he suffered neck and spine injuries.

Schumacher managed to recover and made a comeback in F1 with Mercedes in 2010.

After three seasons which yielded just one podium finish, he quit the sport at the end of last year.

----------


## Perdita

The condition of the former Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher has improved slightly after doctors carried out a second operation to reduce the swelling on his brain following an off piste skiing accident in the French Alps.

In a press conference at Grenoble hospital on Tuesday doctors said they carried out a two-hour operation to reduce the haematoma on his brain. They said a scan before the procedure had showed a slight improvement, but said they were unable to say the former racing driver was out of danger.

Schumacher spent his second night in hospital as doctors treating the former Formula One driver battle "hour by hour" to save his life after injuries sustained after falling while skiing in the resort of MÃ©ribel on Sunday.

Schumacher's wife, Corinna, and their two children, are with him in hospital. So too is GÃ©rard Saillant, a leading brain surgeon from Paris who had rushed to Grenoble on Sunday to be with his former patient and friend.

Doctors said the family had taken the "difficult decision" to go ahead with a second operation when a window of opportunity presented itself. The procedure took place at 10pm on Monday night and had taken two hours.

They said that following the operation there have been "some signs" that Schumacher's condition is "more under control now". While they could not say he is out of danger they have "gained a bit more time in the evolution" of his condition, doctors said.

Schumacher was airlifted to Grenoble on Sunday after falling heavily and hitting his head while skiing on an unmarked slope in the resort of MÃ©ribel.

It soon emerged that the accident, initially played down by a spokesman for the resort, had a devastating impact on Schumacher, who was in a coma by the time he arrived at Grenoble.

Doctors said the first operation, on Sunday, had been to eliminate extradural haematoma â outside the actual brain â to reduce pressure. A scan later showed that one of the haemotoma within the left of the brain was larger and accessible they said, and they could eliminate it without risk so they carried out the second operation.

The gravity of the retired champion's condition prompted figures from across the sporting world to express their shock at the accident and solidarity with a man regarded as one of the greatest racing drivers in Formula One's history.

The current world champion and fellow German Sebastian Vettel, who has been dubbed Baby Schumi by his country's media, led a chorus of support and concern from the sport. "I am shocked and hope that he gets better as quickly as possible. I wish his family much strength."

The British driver Jenson Button, another former world champion, said: "My thoughts are with Michael Schumacher at this tough time. Michael more than anyone has the strength to pull through this."

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said she was "extremely shocked along with millions of Germans".

According to one French media report, the blow to Schumacher's head was so fierce that the helmet cracked. That could not be independently confirmed, but prosecutor Patrice Quincy, based in Albertville, the home of the 1992 Winter Olympics, said: "The victim lost his balance and banged his head extremely violently on small rocks concealed by the snow."

Two ski patrollers arrived at the scene of the accident immediately, Quincy added, a rescue process which soon saw the sportsman taken by helicopter to the nearest hospital at MoÃ»tiers.

Schumacher is thought to have been skiing downhill between two marked pistes below the jagged peaks of the Dent de Burgin when he fell, hitting the right side of his head.

Investigators from the gendarmerie based in the resort of Bourg St Maurice were on Monday on the mountainside attempting to establish the exact circumstances of the accident, which occurred at 2,100m.

After the impact, Schumacher was conscious but "stunned", neurosurgeon Stephan Chabardes said. "He didn't respond to questions after the accident. He didn't have a normal neurological reaction," he told the news conference. By the time he was brought to the hospital at Grenoble, which has an internationally recognised trauma centre, Schumacher was in a coma.

Tony Belli, a consultant neurosurgeon and reader in neurotrauma at Birmingham University, said that Schumacher's age, fitness and psychological strength would help his recovery. "He's got a lot of factors in his favour," he said. "He's more likely than not to make a good recovery, despite all the concerns that have been raised.

From the description of his injuries, it will take weeks, even months to recover, but I do expect him to make a good recovery."

Outside the hospital, fans mingled with television crews as the wait for a further update went on into the night.

Dressed in a red Ferrari cap, jacket and T-shirt, Enzo Debar, 31, said he had come to the hospital "to be close to him, to do what is possible, as a fan. I hope he'll get better. I am sure he will get better, because he's a fighter."

Sharing his hope was Patrick Amatucci, from Grenoble, who had come down with his son. He described Schumacher, whom he had followed from his days with Benetton, as "a great, good man", with greatness in his blood.

The Guardian

----------


## Chloe O'brien

couldn't beleive it on Sunday when i heard the news I keep watchinnng the different news channels hoping they will say he is out of danger.  Come on Schumi your a fighter you can do it.

----------

Siobhan (16-01-2014)

----------


## Perdita

He is getting better and improving all the time now  :Big Grin:

----------

Siobhan (02-01-2014), tammyy2j (01-01-2014)

----------


## tammyy2j

> He is getting better and improving all the time now


That is good to hear

----------


## tammyy2j

.

----------


## alan45

> He is getting better and improving all the time now


Fears were growing in the former race aceâs home country that he will never regain consciousness after his horrific ski accident.

German magazine Focus reported: âSchumacher could be in a coma for ever.â

The publication quoted medical experts who say his condition is so grave there is a chance he will not awaken.

And the respected Bild newspaper said doctors currently have no plans to try to rouse him from his medically-induced coma.

Ex-Ferrari racer Schuey, 45, has now been unconsciousness for 18 days since smashing his head on a rock while skiing off-piste in the French Alps.

The coma means that oxygen to his brain is reduced, in theory allowing him to make a speedier recovery.

But he has not recovered anywhere near enough to be awoken at the hospital in Grenoble, France, leading to reports he might be permanently comatose.

Patients placed in comas are usually brought out of them before 14 days.

Doctors gave Schumacher a fresh scan this week.

Neurosurgeon Andreas Zieger of the University Clinic for neurosurgery in Oldenburg, Germany, said: âThere may have been complications.

âA coma can in theory be maintained for a lifetime.â

Cologne neurological Professor Gereon Fink fears the long coma indicates serious brain damage.

----------


## Siobhan

I hope this is not the case. Sad day indeed

----------


## Meh

Papers always report sensational headlines to generate sales.

Hope he makes a full recovery.

----------

Siobhan (17-01-2014)

----------


## Meh

Papers always report sensational headlines to generate sales.

Hope he makes a full recovery.

----------


## Siobhan

I seen one sick thing on Facebook... video saying Schumacher is dead and in order to see the video, you  have to like the page... that is just sick!!!

----------

Perdita (17-01-2014)

----------


## Perdita

Doctors treating F1 legend Michael Schumacher will be hoping to see eye movements from the stricken race ace as they enter the third week of trying to wake him up.           

Schumacher, 45, has been in a medically-induced coma since smashing his head against a hidden rock during a low-speed ski-run in the French Alps just after Christmas.

It was decided to try to ease the seven-times world champion out of his unconscious state three weeks ago, by slowly lowering the amount of drugs being used to keep him under, giving his brain time to heal.

Now the surgeons at the University of Grenoble Hospital where he was airlifted to would be anticipating eye movements and a sense that he comprehends his environment.

Dr. Luca Regli, head of neurosurgery at the University Hospital of Zurich in Switzerland, said: "This usually takes between two and four weeks.

"The second step is more complex and longer. The patient slowly begins to recognise his environment and reacts accordingly.

"This phase can take days, weeks or even months. It is different for every patient with different injuries.

He added: "In an ideal case the patient attains a minimal awareness and then completely recovers. If this second step is unsuccessful we speak of a waking coma in which the patient opens his eyes but is unaware of his environment.

"We don't yet know where Schumacher is at. That he has still not regained full consciousness is in proportion to the severity of the trauma.

"We cannot predict today the duration and the extent of the recovery. Waking up from a coma is different for everyone."

Earlier this week it was reported that doctors treating the seven-times world champion had broken off the waking-up phase but his management broke a news blackout to insist the process was still being pursued.

Dr. Regli said: "A drug-induced coma protects the nerve cells. If they are threatened in any way, recovery goes back one step. Brain injury in some patients causes seizures. The brain can recover better with medication and the patient is protected from further attacks."

Former racing teammate Felipe Massa said he was certain he detected a mouth movement when he visited the father-of-two in hospital.

And there also had been unconfirmed reports Schumacher, 45, had blinked in the first few hours of turning down the amount of drugs.

Dr. Regli added: "The duration of the coma state, as well as the recovery phase, are related to the severity of his skull-brain trauma.

"Still one cannot say, even after two and a half months, there was no chance of further recovery. Hope always remains.

"The recovery phase is always step by step and you need lots of patience. It is important that the recovery phase is well managed and not rushed too quickly."

Schumacher's wife Corinna, 44, and his children Gina Marie, 16, and son Mick, 14, are at his bedside for a minimum of eight hours a day, talking to him constantly.

----------

Dazzle (02-03-2014), Glen1 (02-03-2014)

----------


## Perdita

Doctors treating Michael Schumacher and other medical experts have told his family that "only a miracle" can save him, sources have claimed.
The seven-time Formula One world champion suffered serious brain injuries after hitting a rock during a skiing accident in the French Alpine ski resort of Meribel in late December.
He is being treated in hospital in Grenoble where he has been in an artificially induced coma for a total of 69 days.
Sources close to his family say the 45-year-old driver's wife Corinna and his brother, Ralf Schumacher, have been consulting brain specialists throughout Europe and have been told that his chances of recovery are minimal.
The family is said to be concerned that the French doctors treating Schumacher have little hope that he will recover and now assume that he will remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.

Experts point out that most artificial comas last for an average of three weeks. Schumacher's management team has insisted that doctors are gradually reducing drug levels to bring the driver out of his artificial coma and that he is currently in a "wake up" phase.
In a statement released on Friday, Schumacher's management team insisted there had been no change. "Michael is still in a wake up phase, the situation has not altered," said the driver's management team spokeswoman Sabine Kehm
At the management team's request, the Grenoble hospital treating Schumacher has kept news about his condition to a minimum. However sources close to his family say that the driver's prognosis is bleak. "The family has been told that only a miracle can bring him back now," a senior German journalist reporting on the Schumacher case said. " He is in a bad way but until the family issues a formal statement, we cannot publish anything," he added.
Another source added: "Doctors have given it to them straight. Miracles sometimes happen but there is little hope that he will come out of this."
A fortnight ago, Germany's Focus magazine reported that complications had obliged doctors to halt Schumacher's wake up process and that the driver had been put back into a coma. However Schumacher's management team denied the report.
Coma experts have stressed that the past week should have been crucial for Schumacher's wake up process as doctors would have been hoping for a sign that he was gradually becoming aware of his surroundings.
However last Sunday, the Schumacher family is reported to have spent Corinna Schumacher's 45th birthday gathered around the comatose driver's hospital bed praying in vain for him to acknowledge their presence.
Doctors say that the greatest risk facing the driver while he remains in a coma and unable to swallow properly, is the possibility that he will contract pneumonia as a result of his lungs being filled with fluid.
Should Schumacher manage to emerge from his coma, there appears to be little likelihood that he would be able to live a normal, active life.
Gary Hartstein, a former Formula One doctor told the German media last week: "The majority of patients who come out of a coma alive after this amount of time suffer severe disabilities."   :Sad: 


The Telegraph

----------

Dazzle (09-03-2014)

----------


## tammyy2j

Michael Schumacher has shown moments of consciousness after months in a coma his agent says

----------


## Perdita

Michael Schumacher is out of a coma and has left hospital, it has been confirmed.

The seven-times Formula 1 world drivers' champion suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident on December 29, 2013, and was placed in a medically-induced coma by doctors. He had been receiving treatment at the University Hospital of Grenoble for a number of months.

Schumacher's spokesperson and manager Sabine Kehm said in a statement on Monday (June 16): "Michael has left the CHU Grenoble to continue his long phase of rehabilitation. He is not in a coma anymore.

"His family would like to explicitly thank all his treating doctors, nurses and therapists in Grenoble as well as the first aiders at the scene of the accident, who did an excellent job in those first months.

"The family also wishes to thank all the people who have sent Michael so many good wishes. We are sure it helped him. 

"For the future, we ask for your understanding that his further rehabilitation should take place away from the public eye."

Schumacher, who drove for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes and set numerous records during his 21-year career in Formula 1, will now continue his recovery at an undisclosed location.

Kehm stated earlier this spring that the 45-year-old had shown "moments of consciousness and awakening" during his recovery.

Encouraging news on Michael's condition this morning. We couldn't ask for a better start to the week. #KeepFightingMichael

â MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) June 16, 2014

He has received widespread support from across the motor racing community, including an email message from his F1 rival Mika Hakkinen, who encouraged him to "fight hard again, just like we both used to on the track".

----------


## Siobhan

This is fantastic news.... they are not saying his condition at the moment but people are speculating that he is still in a vegative state and can respond to some things

----------

Perdita (17-06-2014)

----------


## Perdita

Michael Schumacher 'could recover in three years'
A French doctor who treated Formula One star after ski accident says driver is out of a coma but faces a long road to recovery

A French doctor who treated Michael Schumacher after a skiing accident that nearly killed him has said the Formula One star may recover within three years.
In his first public comments since the accident, Dr Jean-Francois Payen confirmed that Schumacher is out of a coma and has made "some progress", but said the driver faces a long road to recovery.
"I have seen some progress but I would say give him time. It's like other patients, we are in a timescale that ranges from one year to three years, so it takes patience," Dr Payen said.
Dr Payen, the head of Anesthesiology at Grenoble University Hospital where Schumacher was rushed after his accident last December, spoke about his celebrity patient in two interviews, with Le Parisien newspaper and RTL radio.
"Life after a brain injury is littered with stages," he said. "It must progress, we hope, but we must give him time."

Although Schumacher was moved from Grenoble to Lausanne in June, and has since returned to his family home in Switzerland to recuperate, Dr Payen remains in close touch with the family and has visited Schumacher at his home.
"I kept seeing him, first at the University Hospital of Lausanne, and now at home. It's to see how he progresses and tell his wife and children what changes I observed," Dr Payen said.
"He's in very favourable conditions. This plays a big role. The family environment is anyway best for the patient. His wife is surrounded by excellent advice and has implemented all it takes for it to move forward."
Schumacher was in a "critical condition" when he was first brought to hospital, Dr Payen said. He is still alive today "because there were decisions that were taken in a timely manner".
The anaesthesiologist spoke out in praise of Schumacher's wife, Corinna. She has "in every respect an extraordinary willpower," he said.
"Immediately she understood the seriousness of the situation and the long journey that lay before them. She sees things very clearly and will do anything and give everything to improve the condition of her husband."
Dr Payen also spoke for the first time about the media storm in which he was engulfed when he took on his celebrity patient.
"Nobody is willing to undergo such a flood of media [attention]," he told Le Parisien. "We quickly got organised by creating a sort of 'medical bubble' to protect us from the outside world, from the media pressure, in order to work properly."
At one point a journalist reportedly disguised himself as a priest to gain access to Schumacher's bedside, and some of his medical records were later stolen. Dr Payen told how he and his colleagues had to give up their mobile phones, and could only go to and from work via an enclosed car park.

From: The Telegraph

----------


## Siobhan

It is quite tragic. He is awake and out of coma but not moving or speaking. I can't imagine what sort of life that is for him as he was always so active. I am happy for his family that he is recovering slowing. it must be really tough on all of them. Very little news about Jules Bianchi. Hope he recovers too

----------

Perdita (25-10-2014)

----------


## Perdita

It must also be quite difficult for his wife and kids ... he is not the same man they have known and he will probably never be again...

----------

Siobhan (25-10-2014)

----------


## Perdita

FORMULA One ace Michael Schumacher is "making progress" as he continues to recover from a near-fatal skiing crash in the French Alps, his manager has said.

Michael Schumacher won seven world champion titles

Speaking last night, his manager Sabine Kehm said the F1 star was âmaking progressâ but added that people âmust always keep the seriousness of his injuries in mindâ.

The German driver suffered severe head injuries after an accident in Meribel in December 2013. 

Schumacher spent several months fighting for his life in a coma following the crash, but last June was transferred from a hospital in the French town of Grenoble to a Swiss hospital after regaining consciousness.

His family have imposed a near-total news blackout on the care he is receiving at his Swiss mansion. 

Yet in February he was understood to be mute with "limited awareness" of his environment and is also still unable to walk.

Schumacher was crowned the wealthiest driver ever to have raced in F1, with a fortune in excess of Â£520million.

But the seven-time world championâs family is facing spiralling care costs with the current spending on his rehabilitation estimated at over Â£10million. 

His family is said to be spending around Â£100,000-a-week looking after him.

----------

Glen1 (02-06-2015)

----------


## Perdita

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/moto...id=mailsignout

Schumi 50 years old now ... Happy Birthday Michael  :Smile:

----------

