F1 legend Michael is ‘very altered’ says top surgeon
FORMULA One legend Michael Schumacher is “very altered and deteriorated”, a leading neurosurgeon claimed yesterday.
Michael, 51, has not been seen in public since December 2013 when he suffered catastrophic head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps.
The seven-times F1 world champion is out of a long-term coma, but Italian surgeon Nicola Acciari said he is now “a person very different from the one we remember on the track”.
Dr Acciari, who works in the Department of Neurosurgery at Bologna Hospital, told an Italian newspaper: “We must imagine a person very different from the one we remember on the track, with a very altered and deteriorated organic, muscular and skeletal structure.
“All as a result of the brain trauma he suffered.”
The former Ferrari driver is being cared for at his Lake Geneva mansion by his wife Corinna and their two children, Gina-Marie, 22, and Mick, 20, along with a team of medical experts.
His family has declined to go into detail about his condition and treatment to protect his privacy, but in a rare update near the sixth anniversary of the tragedy last year, Corinna reportedly told fans: “Big things start with small steps. Many small particles can form a huge mosaic.”
Last year Michael’s manager and friend, Willi Weber, claimed the star’s family had been hiding the truth about his condition. Speaking on a German documentary, he said: “I know that Michael has been hit hard, but unfortunately I do not know what progress he makes.
“I’d like to know how he’s doing and shake hands or stroke his face, but this is rejected by Corinna.
“She’s probably afraid that
I’ll see right away what’s going on and make the truth public.
“I firmly believe in Michael’s recovery, because I know he is a fighter.”
The German driver hit his head on a rock after falling while skiing off piste.
Last July his former boss at Ferrari told how his friend was battling to recover from the accident.
Jean Todt said he had been at the family home watching the German Grand Prix with Schumacher.
Todt said: “I’m always careful with such statements, but it’s true.
“I saw the race together with Michael at his home in Switzerland.”
While declining to provide too much detail on his pal’s health, out of respect for his family, Todt said: “Michael is in the best hands and is well looked after in his house.
“Of course our friendship cannot be the same as it once was.
“Just because there’s no longer the same communication as before.
“He continues to fight. And family is fighting the same way.”
Todt – now the head of motorsport’s governing body FIA – also reportedly visited Michael last September after he underwent stem cell treatment at a hospital in Paris. his