Schumacher out of coma, has left hospital

PARIS, France (2nd UPDATE) – Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is out of a coma and has left the French hospital treating him since a devastating ski accident in December, his spokeswoman said Monday, June 16.

“Michael has left the CHU Grenoble (hospital) to continue his long phase of rehabilitation. He is not in a coma anymore,” Sabine Kehm said in a statement.

“His family would like to explicitly thank all his treating doctors, nurses and therapists in Grenoble as well as the first aiders at the place of the accident, who did an excellent job in those first months.

“For the future we ask for understanding that his further rehabilitation will take place away from the public eye,” she said, without giving further details about his condition or where the seven-time world champion was sent to.

French doctors in January 2014 announced that had started trying to bring the Formula One legend out of his month-long induced coma. Schumacher was placed in a medically-induced coma after his December 29 fall at Meribel ski resort in the French Alps.

Schumacher was sedated and his body temperature cooled to around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) to ease the risk of further damage to the brain.

His family said at the end of January that drugs used to keep the 45-year-old in his deep sleep were being reduced to bring him back to consciousness, but little had filtered out about his condition since then. – Rappler.com