In 2013, Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher was skiing in the French alps when disaster struck.
The racing legend, who is known as a very competent skier, was skiing on a slope with his son Mick when he hit a partially covered rock.
Although he had not been skiing very fast at the time, Schumacher lost control and was thrown over 10 metres onto another rock where he hit his head.
Following the accident, Schumacher was placed in a medically induced coma for six months. He is now reportedly wheelchair-bound and unable to speak or stand alone.
Since the accident, the Schumacher family have remained quiet on Schumacher’s condition.
The former Formula One driver also hasn’t been seen in public since the accident five years ago.
But now, in the lead up to Schumacher’s 50th birthday, his family have released a statement.
Top Comments
It is, of course, the family's right to handle this situation exactly as they wish. I do think it's a pity though that they aren't more forthcoming about it, because it's a missed opportunity for other families in the same boat. If they came out and said, "We have ALL the money, but catastrophic brain injury is still really awful and hard," it might be of some comfort to those who don't have access to the same medical care. It's like they're embarrassed; that they want to preserve his legacy so badly that they're ignoring his reality.
Or, they are abiding by what he would have wanted. Personally, if I were in the same position, I would not want my privacy invaded in order for my life to become a public service announcement. Public figures are not obliged to divulge information about their health status or cognition in order to make others in a similar position feel less alone, any more than non-celebrities are.