Michael Schumacher Health Condition News Latest: Ex-F1 Racing Champ Now Able to Sit, Even Cry
More than a year after falling into a coma following a skiing accident in the French Alps, former F1 racing champion Michael Schumacher has been showing signs of recovery and can now sit in a wheelchair and recognize his family members, latest reports said.
News of Schumacher's improved health surfaced last month when Alberto Sabbatini, the editor-in-chief of Autosprint, disclosed that the ace German driver even cried recently upon hearing the voices of his children and wife.
Sabbatini said this showed that Schumacher's brain function has improved and he is now able to understand what is happening around him.
However, he said Schumacher still cannot move and speak and can only communicate with his eye movements.
The Autosprint editor said he talked to a number of people who had seen Schumacher recently and who had been following up his treatment following his skiing accident in 2013. He said Schumacher is going through "a very slow recovery."
The 45-year-old Schumacher, the most successful driver in Formula 1 history, suffered a severe head trauma after falling on his skis and hitting his head on a rock on Dec. 29, 2013. He underwent immediate brain surgery after arriving in a state of coma at the University Hospital Center of Grenoble.
After months of treatment, "the good news is that Schumacher is not confined to a bed" and can now sit in a wheelchair near the windows of his villa when he is now undergoing physical therapy to prevent muscle atrophy, Sabbatini said.
The much more positive picture of Schumacher's health provided by the Autosprint editor echoed earlier statements made by the former F1driver's family.
This was in stark contrast to comments made by former F1 driver Philippe Streiff late last year when he described Schumacher as being confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak. Streiff also described Schumacher's health as being similar to this own after he suffered an accident in 1989 which left him unable to walk.