How is Michael Schumacher today, who turns 55 on January 3 “without knowing it”

A skiing accident in France changed the life of Michael Shumacherthat of his family and most likely the entire history of Formula 1. The driver who had defied death countless times at three hundred miles per hour, ten years ago was overwhelmed by a bizarre and inexorable fate.

Schumacher has not been seen in public since the near-fatal skiing accident that occurred on December 29, 2013, while skiing with his son Mick on the slopes of Meribel. Ten years have passed since then and the only medical bulletin issued on his state of health dates back to the day following the head surgery he underwent after the accident. The medics explained that the pilot, violently hitting his head on a stone, had suffered very serious brain injuries and it was almost immediately clear to the whole world that in all likelihood it was an irreversible condition.

From that moment, his wife Corinna – with the complicity of the whole family – has revealed little or nothing about the health conditions of the Formula 1 champion, pledging to defend her husband's privacy in every possible way. She transformed her castle residence in Switzerland into a permanent hospital where a constant coming and going of doctors assisted and supported her husband day and night with every available therapy.

But how is Michael Schumacher today?

We do not know if and how much Michael Schumacher has recovered in recent years, also because the only words on his state of health at the moment are those recently pronounced by former Ferrari Principal Jean Todt – among the few admitted to the world champion's bedside – in an interview with the French sports newspaper The Team: «Michael is there but he is no longer the same as before».

Today Michael «is different and is wonderfully supported by his wife and children who protect him. His life is different and I still have the privilege of being able to share moments with him. That's all there is to say”, added Jean Todt who, last July, had also stated that he still watches F1 races together with Schumacher, despite the fact that the former driver's actual state of health is still unknown.

Very little is still known about the deeper brain mechanisms and from what is known, at the moment Schumacher breathes independently, he does not speak, he is immobile and physiotherapists help him to safeguard his muscle tone. It is not possible to understand to what extent those who speak to him can be heard and this is probably the most distressing condition for those close to him.

According to what was reported in recent days by the German newspaper Bild, Michael Schumacher would be assisted day and night, in his residence on Lake Geneva, by a team of specialists made up of around 15 doctors and physiotherapists. The former Ferrari driver would also have been taken in a car to stimulate his brain through noises, the same ones he experienced in over twenty years of his astonishing career.

A “different” present and a past that cannot be forgotten

In recent weeks, a new documentary on the life of the champion was released in Germany, created by the broadcaster ARD and divided into five parts, entitled Being Michael Schumacher, created with the contribution of his 24-year-old son Mick (also a Formula 1 driver), Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Schumacher holds the joint record with Hamilton for the most Formula 1 world titles won: seven in total.

From left: Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, in 2010.

Vladimir Rys/Getty Images

In a previous Netflix documentary, broadcast in 2021 and titled SchumacherCorinna had explained in detail how her family dealt with the situation and continues to “move on with their lives”.
«Michael is here. Different, but he is here and this gives us strength“, has explained. “We are together. We live in the same house. We do therapy. We are committed to doing everything we can to make Michael feel better and to make sure he is comfortable. We make him feel like our family, our bond. And whatever happens, I will, we will do everything we can to carry on the way Michael liked it and the way he still likes it.” Then adding: «Private is private», a phrase that Michael has always repeated. «For me it is very important that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael has always protected us and now we are protecting him.”

As long as there is life there is hope

Since 2016, Corinna has also financed the Foundation Keep Fightingin support of those who courageously believe in the dreams of healing that are often impossible.
Moreover, in 2007, it was Shumi himself who reiterated the importance of never giving up in the face of life's adversities: «I have always believed that you should never give up, and that you should always keep fighting. Even when you only have a very small possibility in front of you.”