Schumacher in Paris to receive secret stem cell treatment
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER was due to undergo pioneering stem cell treatment in a Paris hospital yesterday, according to French reports.
The seven-times Formula One champion has not been seen in public since sustaining serious head injuries in a skiing accident in 2013.
Schumacher, 50, was admitted to the Georges-pompidou hospital on Monday, according to Le Parisien, which said he was being treated by Philippe Menasché, a cardiovascular surgeon described as a “pioneer in cell surgery against heart failure”. The hospital would neither confirm nor deny the report.
Prof Menasché, 69, is developing a cell therapy that it is hoped will regenerate heart muscle. It was unclear whether Schumacher was due to be treated for a cardiovascular complaint.
Le Parisien said he was due to receive an anti-inflammatory stem cell perfusion yesterday and was due to leave hospital today after being transferred from his house in Gland in Switzerland in an ambulance.
The newspaper said he had been admitted to the Georges-pompidou hospital twice this spring, and had been due to return in July. But the treatment had been delayed due to a health issue.
He reportedly arrived on Monday beneath a blue cloth that “completely covered his body and face”, surrounded by a security contingent of “around 10 people”.
Le Parisien said the former racing champion, who won a record 91 Grands Prix, may receive “experimental” treatment.