14 DAY TRIAL // It's been ten weeks since former F1 champion Michael Schumacher suffered an accident while skiing in the French Alps, which resulted in a serious head injury that forced doctors to put him in an artificial coma.
For the first time since mid-February, his official representative, Sabine Kehm has spoken out to the press and addressed Michael's current state of health, as more and more speculations arose in the media, talking about the driver's worsening condition.
Kehm has confirmed that the seven-time Formula One champion is still in the “wake-up phase” of the medically-induced coma doctors put him in after his December 29 accident. “Michael is still in the wake-up phase. The situation has not changed,” Kehm said in a statement on Friday, March 7, quoted by The Independent.
She also took the time to warn about news pertaining to the driver coming from other sources, warning the public to ignore them, “Any medical information published which is not confirmed by the team of doctors treating Michael or his management has to be considered as not valid.”
Earlier last month, it was reported that the “wake-up phase” that doctors had planned for Michael had to be halted due to complications to his health, but Kehm has dismissed them as untrue. She claims that the attempts are still on-going in a process that is known to sometimes take a couple of months.
Schumacher has been in a coma ever since his skiing accident when he hit his head on a rock off-piste in the exclusive French resort of Meribel. Since then, he has undergone two operations to reduce pressure on the brain and remove haematomas.
Ever since the accident, the Schumacher family has been receiving constant support from fans and other famous persons, ranging from people in the sporting automotive industry that he came into direct contact with or just people who admired his passion and achievements.
Even his long-time rival, fellow driver Mika Hakkinen, sent him a get well message, which urged him to “fight hard, just like we both used to do on the track.”
Earlier this week, it was announced that the Bahrain International Circuit renamed its first corner after Michael Schumacher, which left the family touched, according to Kehm. She said, “We take it as a recognition for his passion for motorsport. I am convinced Michael will love the idea and feel very honoured about having a BIC corner named after him.”