Michael Schumacher Coma & Condition News Update: Racer's Recovery Dim, But Family Stays Strong

"The family has been told that only a miracle can bring him back now," according to the National Post.

Such ominous words for a family who had to helplessly watch its stricken patriarch lay unconscious in a specialist hospital for more than two months now. Despite the seemingly "dim" chances of iconic F1 racer Michael Schumacher's full recovery, his wife Corinna and his two children remain hopeful and will "not allow themselves to be discouraged," according to Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm.

"His family is incredibly strong," she said. "They are here every day. They are brave, they accept the situation and try to carry on together with Michael. I have to say the family is coping magnificently. I have great respect and admiration for them."

Speaking of Schumacher's wake up phase, Kehm continued by saying, "We have learned to accept that it can take a long time." However, she refrained from commenting on earlier reports saying that the seven-time Formula One champion has shown "encouraging signs." Instead, she clarified that such updates are "private" and are mainly his family's concern.

Currently, Schumacher is undergoing treatment in a Grenoble hospital in France and is still in the process of being gradually revived from an artificially induced coma. His doctors are reducing his sedative intake in order to bring him out of his coma - a stage also known as the "wake-up phase."

However, the father-of-two's wake-up phase has become lengthy, which experts said is not a good sign. "It does not bode well. The fact that he hasn't woken up implies that the injury has been extremely severe and that a full recovery is improbable," commented Dr. Tipu Aziz, a professor of neurosurgery at Oxford University. He is not part of the team treating the F1 racer.

"About 90 percent of the recovery is made within nine to 12 months, so this is still early days," qualified Dr. Anthony Strong, an emeritus chair in neurosurgery at King's College London. "The longer someone is in a coma, the worse their recovery tends to be."