MICHAEL Schumacher’s life was hanging by a thread 10-years-ago as medics tried desperately to keep him alive after a tragic skiing crash that left him with horrific brain injuries.
The F1 legend was given the best possible treatment as he was put into a medically induced coma, had his body temperature lowered and underwent hours of tricky operations on his brain.
Yesterday in 2013, the retired seven-time world champion, and his then 14-year-old son set off on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel.
Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed when his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow.
He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for two life-saving operations.
The racing legend’s health reportedly deteriorated fast as he was being carried away and is thought to have lost consciousness before being intubated to keep him breathing.
After he was wheeled into the intensive care unit, Professor Jean-Francois Payen said it was a case of working “hour by hour” as the team took three key measures to save the then 44-year-old’s life.
The racing icon was put into a medically induced coma to reduce the inflammation around his brain and allow for him to be operated on.
Doctors lowered his body temperature to 34-35C when he was in the coma, slowing his metabolism down.
He then underwent two operations to remove blood clots and save his life by releasing pressure built up in his head.
At one point his family were told to brace themselves for the worst case scenario as the situation was much worse than originally believed.
A senior German journalist was even reported as saying: “The family has been told that only a miracle can bring him back now.”
At the time, medics said Schumacher was likely to stay in an induced coma for at least 48 hours as his body and mind recovered.
But the coma ended up lasting 250 days – more than eight months.
After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment.
Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his health status.
Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but can react to things around him.
In 2019, it was said that Schumacher was set to undergo breakthrough stem cell therapy in a bid to regenerate and rebuild his nervous system.
Renowned France cardiologist Dr Philippe Menasche, who had operated on him previously, was set to carry out the treatment that would see cells from his heart go to his brain.
Following the treatment at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, he was said to be “conscious”, although few other details were given about his state.
The doctor made it clear that any and all details of Schumacher’s treatment would remain “secret” for medical confidentiality.
It’s reported Schumacher has received medical care costing as much as £115,000-a-week as his family, friends and pals all hope he can continue to recover from his horror ski crash.
He is also being looked after by an expert team of 15 doctors and a team of masseurs with his loving wife Corinna by his side.
Schumacher hasn’t been seen since the accident or even heard from.
However in April 2023, a German magazine ran a tasteless AI-generated “interview” with the stricken driver pretending to speak with him.
Die Aktuelle’s front cover showed a photo of him smiling, with a headline promising: “Michael Schumacher, the first interview”.
But in fact the chat was written with an artificial intelligence tool and the family threatened legal action leading to Die Aktuelle’s editor being sacked.
Since the accident, German author and journalist Jens Gideon has been probing the horrific accident and gave two potential reasons as to why the crash happened and had such dire consequences.
The first was the lack of snow on the ground, which meant it was extra dangerous to ski as the rocks were exposed.
And the second was because Schumacher was conscious after the initial fall so first responders didn’t realise just how serious his condition was rapidly worsening.
A local ski instructor who saw the crash said Schumacher seemed responsive after the accident so was taken to a hospital in Moutiers.
When the helicopter eventually landed it was immediately decided that it should take off again and fly to the bigger, more specialised hospital in Grenoble as his was clearly in danger of losing his life.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
