Fears are growing in Germany that stricken F1 legend Michael Schumacher may be in a coma for the rest of his life.
German weekly news magazine Focus reported that 'Schumacher could be in a coma forever' after speaking with experts on his condition.
Michael Schumacher ‘will not be Schumacher’ if he wakes up from his coma, a leading neurosurgeon has claimed.
Doctors say the Formula One star is no longer in a 'critical' condition but Richard Greenwood, a consultant neurologist at London’s Homerton Hospital, said the racing legend will be a ‘regular Joe’ if he recovers, as a result of his severe brain trauma.
‘If Schumacher survives he will not be Schumacher. He will be Joe Bloggs,’ said Greenwood.
‘His rehabilitation will only be effective if he comes to terms with being Bloggs, and fulfils what Bloggs can do. That’s a very, very difficult process to take people through, and many people don’t achieve it.’
Bild newspaper also reported that his condition is so grave that there are currently no plans to wake him.
Fearing the worst: German media has been speculating that Michael Schumacher may never come out of his coma after speaking to experts about the progress of his condition following his skiing accident last month
He has been in an artificially induced state of unconsciousness for 18 days now and the silence from his management and the medical teams treating him in Grenoble, France, lead many to fear the worst.
The coma means that oxygen to his brain is reduced, therefore it works less and is better placed to recover from the injuries sustained during a low-speed ski accident on December 29.
But Schumacher, 44, has not recovered anywhere near sufficiently to be awoken from his coma, leading to the speculation that he might be committed to it for the rest of his days.
Patients placed in such comas are usually brought out of them after one to two weeks.
'There may have been complications', said neurosurgeon Andreas Zieger of the University Clinic for neurosurgery in Oldenburg to Focus magazine.
'We should not speculate here. Ultimately, we are talking about life and death. A coma can in theory be maintained for a lifetime. It won't hurt the human brain.'
