Steven Petrov
The Paw Print
Michael Schumacher is the most successful Formula 1 race driver in the history of car racing sports. He is a 7-time world champion, who dominated the Formula 1 world from 1994 to 2004, winning 5 the world title 5 years in a row from 2000 to 2004. He has always been an inspiration for people around the world, showing that achieving greatness is possible after putting in the hard work. However, on December 29th Corinna, Michael’s wife, and their two children, Jean-marie and Mick, as well as Michael himself faced the toughest battle and hardship that they could have ever imagined. The 7-time world champion suffered a major hit to the head after a ski accident in the Swiss Alps. He has been in a coma for over 5 weeks now, and the groups of doctors taking care of him say that the only reason why he is still alive is the fact that he was wearing a helmet when the accident occurred. Certain speculations about Michael’s slow awakening process have spread over the last couple of weeks. This drew a lot of attention from hundreds of thousands of fans and friends from around the world who started sending postcards, emails, phone calls etc. However, Luke Griggs, the official spokesman of the leading charity organization for people with brain damages “Headway” in England, stated for BBC news that the real awakening from coma doesn’t look like the one we see in movies, and that sometimes it may take from a few days to a few weeks if not more. In the second part of his statement, Griggs talks about how the major fear of all of the injured one’s relatives and friends shifts from him not waking up to the fear of to what degree would he be able to recover and what is his life is going to be like from now on. Former studies have shown that only 20% of people who suffered severe brain damage manage to recover completely. The other 80% either dies or ends in a vegetative condition. The reason why it is incredibly difficult and complicated for people to recover in full from any kind of brain damage is because an injury like this can hurt the parts of the brain that deal with coordination, walking, talking, and feeling and can totally change one’s personality, argues Luke Griggs. However, the renowned expert in brain injuries also states that with the right help and the right amount of time to recover, the life after hits like Schumacher’s one is absolutely possible. Hopefully, the 7 time world F1 champion manages to win one more race: the most important in his and his family’s life.
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