The Michael Schumacher Career/Injury/Recovery Thread

How may people do you know who have a personal home-hospital suite and medical staff taking care of them constantly? What kind of state is that? Why do you think the family is not telling the press anything? Answering "because they want privacy" is not an answer.

 

Whatever his state, who the hell are we to suggest what is right or wrong for his family to do or say ......all we can/should do is wish them well.

Best, Sammy

 

This brings up the topic of what do you want? Do you have that in writing? Are you sure a living will covers it? What would Brock Yates want? What did Ronald Reagan want? Yes different but the same outcome. Long term care sucks. Ask me how I know. We will change as a society. Will it be better? Will life be cheaper, even easier to snuff out? Or are we being humane like when we put our beloved pets to sleep? Who is brave enough to pull the plug for us when it is our time. No one ever plans to end up like this, but everyone should have an exit strategy if it happens. Johnny Got His Gun-Dalton Trumbo. Not a big fan of anti war movies but he makes a point.

 

I've said from the beginning of this ordeal that she (Kehm) is doing no real good or service for anyone involved as far as I am concerned --- she is a useless (at best) or a destructive (at worst) spin and BS artist. She really should consider a career in US politics.

 

What kind of friend will come out and give opinions like that?

 

I agree with you actually. It isn't our place. It's the family's. It's been a year now. That passage just raises some serious questions for me at this point. Even if he is recovering well, with the quiet time away from paparazzi an asset, MS's condition is being allowed to become spun into rumor and vagueness, with no media report taken as believable no matter what it says or who writes it. But again, it is the family's prerogative to give the middle finger to society as it's really none of our business, his massive fame notwithstanding.

It has made me ponder, too, as Juan-Manuel mentioned above, the entire probability of becoming physically incapacitated but kept alive by medicine and money--but with no actual life for the recipient of the care. That seems to be what is generally happening. What would you want?

 

Good points yes.

 

I think we actually "know" how Schumacher is doing...In every official statement it is always mentioned that Corinna wants to thank the fans for their support, it is never written that Michael wants to thank for the support! I think that says a lot if you want to read in between the lines.

 

+1

Re the privacy: The Schumachers have always been a private family. Should they suddenly be obliged to post out each and every detail of Schumachers state just because he's famous? These aren't the Kardashians. Get real, please.

 

That isn't what I'm asking. I don't care about every detail like the Kardashians. What is ridiculous is the refusal to admit to how MS is actually doing--not even 1 statement being confirmed as true--when it's becoming more and more obvious after 1 year that he's being "kept."

See below comment:

 

Why do we assume that the family "owes" us updates?

 

That isn't the assumption being made. Life itself doesn't owe anyone anything. Look at what happened to Schumacher. He wasn't owed a charmed life indefinitely. I think the point is, after a year, what is the point anymore. Why not admit to something about Michael Schumacher? People have been injured before. Keeping it a secret seems unnecessary. But that is my opinion.

 

It seems that your comment implies that you feel that they do.

 

No one is owed anything as I said beforehand. They can remain silent until the end of time. That is their prerogative. My opinion is based in the premise that they are in denial of reality as I believe many are.

 

Perhaps. But that's their issue.

 

Ian,

You seem to have both difficulty in reading comprehension and accepting issues. I did not say "he flew 30-40 feet through the air", I stated that he flew over the tips of his skis (when he initially fell) and struck rocks 30-40 feet away. Right after the accident a German newspaper posted a picture of the UNGROOMED area between two ski trails where he fell (there had been snow the previous night) they also showed the group of rocks he struck. From witnesses, the ski patrol stated MS entered the area at a unreasonably high speed (again, for a rough, ungroomed area which was not meant to be skied upon) and estimated the distance 30-40 feet from where he initially was believed to have fell to the rocks he hit). I am NOT talking rapid downhill speeds, but higher than one should ski in such an area. If you think I am wrong - PROVE IT! All you seem to contribute is (IMO, unwarranted) optimism - somewhat kind, but extremely naive. Of course it's a tragedy that MS is injured in this severe manner, but unfortunately, nature is very unforgiving and all the optimism in the world will do little to change the outcome.

Lastly, are you a physician or do you have any formal medical training? Do you know anything about head/neurological injury? If not, then don't be so flippant with those that are/do and postulate as to the extent or nature of his injuries.

 

Actually, Ian is correct to my knowledge - while initial speculation was as you post, that Schumacher had travelled at high speed into that area, later reports confirmed this was NOT the case. Schumacher had actually been stopped at the edge of the ungroomed area to assist a fallen skier get up, then started from zero speed to ski through that small ungroomed area. The actual accident reports dismiss the high speed speculation, and confirm that his fall occurred at low speed.

I suggest that the burden of proof for what is now a minority opinion rests with you - the rest of us seem to have accepted the later published reports of the accident which state the fall happened at low speed.

 

Yes, and supposedly it was the go pro helmet mount that injured his brain.

 

What the hell, here's your proof - you are flat out WRONG.

Michael Schumacher not skiing at excessive speed ? French investigators | Sport | The Guardian

You say "higher (speed) than one should ski in such an area" - investigators specifically disagree with your claim.

You say "estimated the distance 30-40 feet from where he initially was believed to have fell to the rocks he hit)" - investigators say 3 metres = under 10 feet.

We await your acknowledgement that you have been PROVED wrong.

 

Err, you talk about reading comprehension?.... Please tell me how he could have "flew over the tips of his skis" and land 30-40 away *without* flying through the air?....

Indeed. Said picture (along with many others) were posted here.

Please can you find the ski patrol report you appear to be quoting?

I've followed this whole sorry story at least as closely as anyone from the peanut gallery can. Outside of the gutter press and their (as usual) crazy assertions that he was going way too fast, "flew though the air" etc, my understanding - From viewing pictures & videos of the area, the few credible eye witness reports and so on leads me to believe;

- He did not enter the area at an unreasonably high speed. In fact, again, from what I've read, he was actually starting from a stop in there having helped a buddy to his feet (rumors were it was Mick, but AFAIK that's never been confirmed (or denied)).
- The area was indeed ungroomed. Exactly the type of terrain many of us actively seek out and ski/ride as it's much more fun than the groomers.
- Rocks were visible - I (and many others without any death wish at all) ski between/over/around rocks, trees and other obstacles all the time. No big deal.
- If ski patrol had considered the area "dangerous" or "unskiable" I suspect it would have been cordoned off. [Although, many of us have been known to duck under such cordons to find the powder - At our own risk of course.] That it remained open and indeed had many tracks running through it the following day says that was not the case.
- It isn't a steep area - This is plainly visible from the pictures/videos we've seen. In fact, it would be the *exact* type of small, "friendly" powder area that an instructor would lead a neophyte "powder skier" into when learning. Not too steep & easy to get out of & back to the groomers.
- My understanding/suspicion is that he helped his buddy (Mick or not is irrelevant) back up, pushed off and *maybe* wasn't fully concentrating. ie, he started from a standstill, virtually no speed at all. A tip caught under a rock, the binding didn't release (not unusual at *low* speed) and "catapulted" him onto another rock roughly 6' (his height) away. Had his head hit a few inches differently either way none of this would have happened. Just terrible, terrible, luck and nothing to do with speed.

Can I "prove" any of this? Of course not. But the legitimate reports & responsible journos I've read do seem to agree with my summary. The only ones that don't are the tabloid, sensation reporting kind -

"He was skiing off piste! What a lunatic!" BS - Millions of us do just that all the time.
"He was going too fast!" BS - As I said, the eyewitness reports I've read (including the little from the ski patrol) suggest he was going super slow.
One report I saw even had him "jumping from a cliff"!

Sorry for my optimism & naivety.

As long as Corinna (and her no doubt well informed advisers) maintain a glimmer of hope &, presumably, optimism, so will I.

Maybe us optimists are all (as has been suggested here) being duped by greedy doctors. Maybe her advisers (including the much respected Sabine) are simply out to empty her bank account. I just hope that isn't the case.

I've said many, many times "I'm no doc" or indeed have any medical training (beyond a long expired CPR certificate, which I won't count! ).

I've also said many times that I recognize how serious his condition remains. I have read all of Dr Harsteins comments on the topic and fully understand that the chances of a full (indeed, any) recovery after a year in coma are very slim. I get it, the situation is dire. But, we don't even know if he's still in a coma......

However, I refuse to give up hope. It seems neither do Corinna and the attending doctors. Sure, you & me would almost certainly be long gone. That she can build a "mini hospital" at the (so far never explained) cost of "100K per week" is her choice. All I hope is her medical advisers/friends & family are not as duplicitous as many here in the medical profession seem to be.

Godspeed Michael,
Ian

 

Sabine Kehm is much respected? Really? By whom?

She is a spin doctor for crying out loud.

She flat out lied about Streiff. There is an entire thread about her lies on reddit. And that's only a recent case

 

Those are the reported facts...low-speed impact with a rock (off-piste) and injury was directly related to the mounted go pro helmet cam.

 

She's very well respected by the Iraqi Foreign Minister...

 

Like most here, it is difficult to get my mind around Schumacher being "paralyzed, in a wheelchair and unable to speak". I don't know if that means that he is aware of his environment but unable to interact due to damage to his motor skills or if he is being wheeled around in a state of minimum consciousness. We do not know. On the one hand, we have doctor speculation that he will never recover and he is in a 'persistent vegetative state' while another doctor opines that he will 'recover in 1-3 years'.

Given our basic lack of understanding of his true condition, I have to give his family the benefit of the doubt and side with their decision on handling his condition. Perhaps in 3 years he will still be wheelchair bound but able to capably interact with his daily surrounding. We don't know...but I don't think that hoping for that outcome is wrong by any means. They have the resources to support that hope and I'm certain Corrine would trade everything for a glimmer of hope to have her husband.

Sabine's job is to obviously run interference and shut out the press at every turn. Tough job, but I understand why she's doing what she does.

 

Possibly but those with real wealth will spend it on a glimmer of hope without question. As Ian stated its possible they have good or bad advice. My personal feeling is based on the medical reports both MS and Jules face a long road, and have the odds against them, given the published nature of their injuries.