MICHAEL Schumacher’s family have shared an agonising message to the F1 legend 10 years after his tragic ski crash.
The sporting icon was left fighting for his life after the horror accident in the Alps, exactly a decade ago.
AFPMichael Schumacher’s family-run charity has urged him to “keep fighting”[/caption]
AFPMichael was left in a coma for 250 days after the accident[/caption]
He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for two life-saving operations.
Michael was then placed in a medically induced coma to try to reduce the swelling and in the decade since the F1 superstar has never been seen in public and health updates have been very rare.
His family have continued to keep his health a secret and his inner circle small.
Now, the Keep Fighting Foundation, founded and run by Michael’s family have urged the “inspiration” to keep going.
The post on X, formerly Twitter, read: “An inspiration for so many.
“Certainly for us.”
It was accompanied by the hashtags #KeepFightingMichael and #KeepFighting.
Some of Michael’s closest friends and his son are trustees at the foundation.
As an accomplished skier, the retired seven-times world champion, and his then 14-year-old son set off on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel.
Footage from Schumacher’s helmet camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed when his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow.
The impact of the collision, shortly after 11am on December 29, 2013 was so intense that it split his helmet in two and left him in a coma for 250 days.
Doctors later said the headgear is the only reason he’s still alive.
This sparked a whole host of unanswered questions from friends, fans and fellow drivers that his family refused to comment on.
Since 2013, his wife Corinna has been creating a private world around Michael as he continues his recovery – including forming a tight knit group of people allowed to see the great man and those who can’t.
Corinna has cut out certain people for a plethora or reasons including keeping the families privacy a priority and for the sake of Schuey.
It comes as his younger brother Ralf has admitted the F1 legend may never completely recover, despite receiving advanced medical treatment.
He said: “Nothing is like it used to be.”
Ralf, who also raced and won six F1 Grands Prix, told German outlet Bild this week: “Life is unfair at times.
“That day held a lot of bad luck. This fate has changed our family.”
He added: “Michael wasn’t only my brother.
“When we were kids he was also my coach and mentor. He taught me everything about kart racing.
“There may be an age gap of seven years but he was always by my side.”
Yesterday Michael’s F1 pal Perry McCarthy, the man behind Top Gear’s original mystery character The Stig, said his fate was “desperately cruel”, adding: “It’s incredible that someone so special can be so badly hurt while skiing.
“It’s so cruel that Michael happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
RexMichael’s wife Corinna has been by his side through his recovery[/caption]
ReutersMichael made his F1 debut in 1991 and went on to land seven drivers’ titles[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
