Neurosurgeon dashes Schumacher hopes with sad update

A sad update on Michael Schumacher’s condition has dropped just days after wedding rumours that gave the world hope.

A top neurosurgeon believes Michael Schumacher “has probably been in the same condition for a decade” following claims the F1 icon attended his daughter’s wedding.

The world was given hope this week that the seven-time world champion is recovering with rumours suggesting the German was present when his daughter Gina married partner Iain Bethke last week in Majorca, Spain.

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According to reports, to mark the special day, Schumacher’s family made the decision to temporarily end his decade of living hidden away from the world with some friends and family “seeing him” for the first time since his horrific ski accident in 2013.

Those reports have not been confirmed, but German publication BILD maintains it is “very likely” the former driver attended the event in some capacity.

However, those hopes have now been dashed with leading neurotraumatology professor Jussi Posti saying it is unlikely the reports are correct.

Michael Schumacher and his wife Corinna. AFP PHOTO / JENS KALAENE.

Posti — head of the neurosurgery and traumatic brain injury department at Turku University Hospital in Finland — has told Iltalehti: “If a hospital has been built in his house, with everything medicalised around him, it seems that he has been in hospital most of the time.

“Based on the information available, I don’t think he leads a very active life.

“Everything points to him being unwell. As bedridden patients, most people become so frail and stiff that it is no longer possible to get them out of bed after so many years.”

Posti then added: “It suggests that he has probably been in the same condition for the last decade.

“I doubt that anything sudden has changed at this stage.

“Typically, patients recover what they can recover for up to two years, and then the level of recovery is usually set.

“Essentially, these types of patients are very experimental models at best.”

Posti also shared his analysis on rumours Schumacher can only communicate with his eyes.

“There are various after-effects of brain damage,” he explained.

“For example, the injury can cause the patient to be unwilling to communicate with anyone other than the immediate family.

“It may also be that no one other than the immediate family can get the patient sufficiently stimulated for any meaningful communication.”

The truth remains a mystery with the family continuing to fiercely guard his condition and protect his privacy.

The German suffered a serious head injury after a skiing accident in December, 2013, in the French Alps, and his family has kept his condition secret ever since.

Gina-Maria Schumacher, daughter of Michael Schumacher and Iain Bethke. Photo by Gisela Schober/Getty Images.

Some light has recently been shed on the star’s health, following years of mystery, with former teammate Johnny Herbert dropping a big rumour in January to suggest Schumacher is capable of “sitting at the dinner table”.

Schumacher has reportedly spent much of his recent life at the $50 million Spanish villa, which is believed to have been adapted allowing a team of doctors and nurses to provide round-the-clock care, The Sun reports.

It’s why the rumoured development of his daughter’s wedding has made headlines around the globe with suggestions friends and families saw the Ferrari legend for the first time in 11 years.

Among the guest list was Michael’s brother Ralf and his partner Etienne Bosquet-Cassagne, who also attended a pre-party at upmarket Mhares Sea Club on Saturday.

Before the glamorous wedding, it has been widely reported only three close family members and a team of medics have previously had access to Schumacher.

His long-term wife Corinna has even created a so-called inner circle made up of a selective group of Schumacher’s family and closest friends.

The Daily Mail has reported guests at the wedding were required to leave their phones at the front door upon arrival at the estate as one of the measures used to protect Michael’s privacy.

The family also reportedly looked at hiring a large security team to keep photographers away.

The success of the event has reportedly raised hopes the family will consider future opportunities for the Ferrari icon to be seen in public.

That now appears increasingly unlikely.

— with The Sun

Originally published as Neurosurgeon dashes Schumacher hopes with sad update