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Michael Schumacher 'could recover in three years'
A French doctor who treated Formula One star after ski accident says driver is out of a coma but faces a long road to recovery
12:29PM BST 23 Oct 2014
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A French doctor who treated Michael Schumacher after a skiing accident that nearly killed him has said the Formula One star may recover within three years.
In his first public comments since the accident, Dr Jean-Francois Payen confirmed that Schumacher is out of a coma and has made "some progress", but said the driver faces a long road to recovery.
"I have seen some progress but I would say give him time. It's like other patients, we are in a timescale that ranges from one year to three years, so it takes patience," Dr Payen said.
Dr Payen, the head of Anesthesiology at Grenoble University Hospital where Schumacher was rushed after his accident last December, spoke about his celebrity patient in two interviews, with Le Parisien newspaper and RTL radio.
"Life after a brain injury is littered with stages," he said. "It must progress, we hope, but we must give him time."
Although Schumacher was moved from Grenoble to Lausanne in June, and has since returned to his family home in Switzerland to recuperate, Dr Payen remains in close touch with the family and has visited Schumacher at his home.
"I kept seeing him, first at the University Hospital of Lausanne, and now at home. It's to see how he progresses and tell his wife and children what changes I observed," Dr Payen said.
"He's in very favourable conditions. This plays a big role. The family environment is anyway best for the patient. His wife is surrounded by excellent advice and has implemented all it takes for it to move forward."
Schumacher was in a "critical condition" when he was first brought to hospital, Dr Payen said. He is still alive today "because there were decisions that were taken in a timely manner".
The anaesthesiologist spoke out in praise of Schumacher's wife, Corinna. She has "in every respect an extraordinary willpower," he said.
"Immediately she understood the seriousness of the situation and the long journey that lay before them. She sees things very clearly and will do anything and give everything to improve the condition of her husband."
Dr Payen also spoke for the first time about the media storm in which he was engulfed when he took on his celebrity patient.
"Nobody is willing to undergo such a flood of media [attention]," he told Le Parisien. "We quickly got organised by creating a sort of 'medical bubble' to protect us from the outside world, from the media pressure, in order to work properly."
At one point a journalist reportedly disguised himself as a priest to gain access to Schumacher's bedside, and some of his medical records were later stolen. Dr Payen told how he and his colleagues had to give up their mobile phones, and could only go to and from work via an enclosed car park.
