Michael Schumacher, the German Formula One champion, is "no longer in a coma" nearly
six months after he was critically injured in a skiing accident.
The driver's manager, Sabine Kehm, confirmed to ESPN that Schumacher has been transferred from Grenoble University Hospital Center to Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland.
There, he'll "continue his long phase of rehabilitation," Kehm said.
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Schumacher, who was skiing with his son at the French Alpine resort of Meribel, was hospitalized Dec. 29 after falling and hitting his head on a rock. The race car driver was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash and he reportedly had to undergo brain surgery to remove blood clots.
"If he's been released from the hospital he was in, it means he's able to support his own breathing and bodily functions," Dr. Tipu Aziz, a professor of neurosurgery at Oxford University's John Radcliffe Hospital, told ESPN. "With rehabilitation, they'll try to train him to cope with the disabilities that he's got to achieve as much life function as possible. ... If he's had a brain injury, he may have weakness in his limbs secondary to loss of brain function. He may have problems with speech and swallowing."
Kehm said the Schumacher 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."
"The family also wishes to thank all the people who have sent Michael all the many good wishes. ... We are sure it helped him," the statement continued. "For the future we ask for understanding that his further rehabilitation will take place away from the public eye."
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