Family hopeful of Michael Schumacher's recovery

Paris, Feb 14 (IANS): The family of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher still believe in the racer’s recovery, lashing out at reports on an eventual deterioration of his health condition, media reported Thursday.

“The family gives its full confidence in the team of doctors and nurses. The most important (thing) is not the speed of the process, but that (it has) to be done with a continuous and controlled way,” Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm was quoted as saying by broadcaster Europe1, Xinhua reported.

According to the German weekly Bild, the former Formula One champion has been suffering from pneumonia in recent days, while still in recovery phase, adding that the pneumonia’s effects on Schumacher’s fragile health “are not clear”.

Last month, doctors at Grenoble hospital started the process of gradually waking Schumacher by lowering the dosage of the drugs that have kept the retired seven-time Formula One champion in a coma since he suffered a severe head injury in a skiing accident Dec 29 at Meribel ski resort in the French Alps.