Friends of MICHAEL SCHUMACHER have spoken of "their fears for his recovery as the star's medical costs reach a reported $183,000 a week," according to NEWS.com.au. Schumacher, who suffered a "serious head injury after a ski accident in the French Alps in December last year, is being treated at his Swiss home by a team of 15 specialists." And while he has had "periods of awakening, the 45-year-old is reliant on machines and tubes to feed and breathe." He is receiving "specialist care at a special clinic in the grounds of his mansion, having spent more than six months in a medically induced coma at a hospital in Grenoble." The 15 specialists "take care of his every needs, including massaging him for hours to ensure his muscles remain stimulated." He is also "checked every hour for signs of improvement." However
friends and "even medical experts have expressed doubts over his
recovery with one saying the world is watching the 'long goodbye' of the
racing star." Dr. GARY HARTSTEIN said that "life expectancy for a comatose patient who does not improve neurologically is measured in months to a relatively few years." Others were "questioning how much improvement Schumacher was expected to make given he has been in a coma for so long" (NEWS.com.au, 11/4).
