It is near on impossible to explain to you how much I disliked Formula 1.

Any female out there who has had to endure hour upon hour of what could have been lovely Sunday mornings with the boyfriend, sat in front of the telly watching F1 will understand my woes. It got to the point where even hearing the theme tune would send shivers down my spine. And not in a good way.

Then there were the Grand Prix’s which were somewhere with a ridiculous time difference, which meant being woken up in the middle of the night with a dummmm, dum-dum-dum, dum-dum-dum-dum-dum, duuuumm…

Here is a looped version for your listening pleasure! (They do say a problem shared is a problem halved?!)

That said, I do have huge respect for Michael Schumacher.

1984 and 1985 – Winner of the German Junior Kart Championship.
1987 – Wins the German and European Kart Championships.
1990 – German Formula Three champion.
1991 – Makes his Formula One debut with Jordan, qualifying in seventh at the Belgium Grand Prix.
1994 – Wins his first Formula One championship, with Benetton, in a controversial finish. At the title-deciding Australian Grand Prix, Schumacher wins by a point after colliding with challenger Damon Hill and causing both cars to retire.
1995 – Wins his second straight Formula One championship with Benetton.
1999 – Breaks his leg in a crash at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
2000 – Wins the Formula One championship with Ferrari. It is Ferrari’s first championship since 1979.
2000-2004 – Wins five straight F1 championships with Ferrari.
2006 – Announces his retirement.
2009 – Is diagnosed with a mild concussion after a motorbike crash in Spain.
2010 – Returns after three years of retirement, to race for Mercedes.
2012 – Retires for the second and final time.

Now that is SOME resume…

In fact, Schumacher has won exceptionally ninety one times, which is the combined tally of the second and third most successful drivers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.  See more

Not only is he one of the best sportsmen the World has ever seen, he is also an inspiration in so many other ways, giving generously to charity and showing a great example to youngsters of how to behave as a sportsperson.

But then this happened:

December 29, 2013 – Suffers severe head trauma in a skiing accident at the French Alps resort of Meribel. He undergoes two operations and is put into a medically induced coma.

This news shock the world. The news that no one expected. A man that had been driving ridiculously fast cars for most of his life at dangerous speeds, in an induced coma from a skiing accident.

Poor Michael. 

January 30, 2014 – Agent Sabine Kehm says that Schumacher’s sedation is being reduced to start the “waking up process.”

At long last, there is finally some improvement…

And then…

Monday June 16, 2014 – Michael Schumacher wakes from his coma.

Here is a press release…

I am so pleased to hear that he has finally woken from his coma, and whilst I cannot understand what he is going through at this time, after spending 14 weeks in an induced coma myself I can sympathise to some extent with the situation.

There are no photos of me with tubes here there and everywhere as at the time my family didn’t think of taking them.

What my family and friends didn’t realise at this time was that I was not forming any memories, whilst I may have appeared to be making huge progress (learning to talk again in hours, walk again in days and write again in weeks), I would say that over three years on I am still not fully recovered.

Rehabilitation is imperative for anyone that has suffered any form of brain injury. It is not enough to be sent home from hospital and expect to return to your old self. It takes uncountable amounts of sessions with Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Doctors, Nurses and many more.

For both Michael and all those close to him, this is when the hard work will really begin. The strength of character that he has shown in his life will be of huge importance in the upcoming days, weeks, months and years.

Whilst there will be many people out there who will read the tabloids and expect for him to be back to his ‘old self’ within the blink of an eye, think again. Recovery from a brain injury is a long, drawn out process. Whilst miracles do happen, it is imperative for people to realise that it takes time. So much time. And strength, strength of the family, strength of the individual and strength of character.

I hope and pray that he makes a full recovery.

My thoughts will be with him throughout, and I wholly respect his family wanting to keep his recovery out of the public eye.

In the meantime, here is another inspirational young man that suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) back in 2009 called Kevin Pearce.

His story of recovery however, IS in the public eye. So much so, that they have made a documentary/film all about it.

Listening to his story and how he has changed throughout his recovery is moving to say the least.

One of the most amazing documentaries/films that I have ever had the pleasure of watching is The Crash Reel. I HIGHLY recommend it and it is great to give an insight into the after effects of a TBI.

He has managed to use this terrible ordeal in a positive way to help raise awareness about the importance of wearing a helmet with his ‘Love your Brain’ campaign.

 

On this Monday morning spare a thought for Michael and his loved ones.