Michael Schumacher’s wife Corinna gave an update on the Formula One racer’s condition after he suffered a traumatic brain injury nearly eight years ago
Michael Schumacher’s wife is sharing a rare glimpse into the Formula 1 racer’s life since his 2013 brain injury.
In an interview featured in the upcoming Netflix documentary Schumacher, Corinna Schumacher, who wed Michael in 1995, gave viewers an update on the F1 legend’s condition, saying her husband, 52, is “different, but he’s here,” ESPN reported.
“Michael is here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find,” she said in the doc, which premieres on the streaming platform on Sept. 15.
Michael has not been seen in public since sustaining a traumatic December 2013 head injury while skiing in the French Alps where he hit his head on a rock and broke his helmet open.
The seven-time F1 champion was immediately rushed to the hospital in critical condition, was placed in a medically induced coma and underwent emergency surgery. Over a year later, in January 2014, Michael was brought out of his coma.
Now, over seven years later, Corinna says in the documentary that she and her husband are living at home together in Geneva, Switzerland, where she does everything to make him feel comfortable.
“We’re together. We live together at home. We do therapy,” she explained, according to ESPN. “We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.”
The mother of two added, “And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will. We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.”
Corinna also explained Michael’s need for privacy, hinting at why the family keeps his condition out of the public eye.
“‘Private is private’, as he always said. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible,” she said. “Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.”
Michael’s family previously shared an update on his condition in honor of his 50th birthday in 2019. At the time, they wrote on his Facebook page that Michael was “in the very best hands and that we are doing everything humanly possible to help him.”
The family continued, “Please understand if we are following Michael’s wishes and keeping such a sensitive subject as health, as it has always been, in privacy. At the same time we say thank you very much for your friendship and wish you a healthy and happy year 2019.”
Michael remains one of the most successful F1 racers in history, with only Lewis Hamilton passing him for most wins in the sport.
While Michael retired from F1 in 2006, he later returned to the sport four years later, before returning for good in 2012 with 91 wins under his belt.
Michael’s son, Mick Schumacher, followed in his father’s footsteps by joining F1 earlier this year.