Moody's upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to Aa3 with stable outlook    Riyadh Metro to begin partial operations next Wednesday: Report    Al Okhdood halts Al Shabab's winning streak with a 1-1 draw in Saudi Pro League    Mahrez leads Al Ahli to victory over Al Fayha in Saudi Pro League    Al Qadsiah hands Al Nassr their first defeat in the Saudi Pro League    Saudi musical marvels takes center stage in Tokyo's iconic opera hall    Downing Street indicates Netanyahu faces arrest if he enters UK    London's Gatwick airport reopens terminal after bomb scare evacuation    Civil Defense warns of thunderstorms across Saudi Arabia until Tuesday    Saudi Arabia, Japan strengthen cultural collaboration with new MoU    Slovak president meets Saudi delegation to bolster trade and investment ties    Saudi defense minister meets with Swedish state secretary    Navigating healthcare's future: Solutions for a sustainable system    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Sixth foreign tourist dies of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws    Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia to expand rail network to over 8,000 km    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Racer recalls brain injury struggle
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 03 - 01 - 2014

GRENOBLE, France — Daniel Albrecht counts himself among the lucky. The Swiss Alpine racer left spectators gasping in horror when he lost control during a training run in January 2009, landing on his back and sliding down the icy slope.
Then came three weeks in a medically induced coma and months of struggling for a simple word or phrase. Ultimately, while still in his 20s, the former world champion had to give up competing in the sport that he loved. But, viewing Michael Schumacher's critical brain injuries through the prism of his own, Albrecht knows his own luck held “when I came back as a nearly normal guy.”
Doctors for the Formula One great affectionately known as Schumi are sober, saying that his condition remains too fragile to think beyond his immediate survival.
Those who recover from severe brain trauma are in the minority, according to one member of the team treating Schumacher at Grenoble University Hospital after he fell Sunday while skiing and struck a rock, cracking his helmet.
Dr. Jean-Francois Payen, the hospital's chief of intensive care, told BFM-TV that medical literature puts that recovery rate at 40-to-45 percent of patients.
“But, once again, these are statistics. And me, I don't work with statistics. I work with patients. So we're going to work” on Schumacher, he was quoted as saying.
Schumacher's doctors said Tuesday that the seven-time F1 champion remained gravely ill, although his condition improved slightly. He underwent surgery for a second time to remove bleeding in the left side of his brain.
“I know what it is and how serious the problem is,” Albrecht told the Associated Press in a telephone interview. “Now we know he has a brain injury so you never know what happens next. I think I was a little lucky when I came back as a nearly normal guy. But it needs a long, long time.”
The Swiss ski team doctor who worked with Albrecht told the AP a key difference is that Schumacher's case is complicated by the bleeding.
“(Dani) had no bleeding, it was a concussion. When you have bleeding, the question there is ‘Is it possible to do (treat) it fast so that you don't have too much damage?'” Dr. Hans Spring said.
Nearly five years ago, Albrecht was the 25-year-old rising star of an improving Swiss Alpine team. As reigning world champion in the super-combined, he was a potential medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in the event won by American Bode Miller.
On a sunny Thursday in Austria, while training for the storied downhill race at Kitzbuehel, Austria, Albrecht flew 40 feet in the air off the final jump, landed on his back and was thrust forward on his face before sliding to a halt.
Doctors in Innsbruck kept him in a medically induced coma for three weeks to help his brain and lungs heal. “The vital signs are perfect but you never know something about brain function,” Spring recalled. “The real work begins when you wake up. Then it takes years, and not months and not weeks. Neurological deficits are really a complex story.”
Albrecht spent a further two months in the hospital, including at a specialist clinic in the Swiss capital of Bern. Physically he was strong, but he had problems concentrating and finding the right words to describe objects or express thoughts.
“My wife was also there and she was patient. That was so important for me,” Albrecht told the AP.
Albrecht was determined to resume his career. Both he and Spring believed that a professional athlete's competitive drive and dedication to training are important factors in a patient's chances of having a successful rehabilitation.
Albrecht's determination brought him back to top-level racing almost two years after his accident, though not as a contender to win. He never bettered a 21st-place finish in his comeback race in a World Cup giant slalom at Beaver Creek, Colorado.
“He was skiing at the World Cup level, and that is better than 99.9 percent of everyone else skiing today,” Spring said. “That is fantastic, but even then there is a little gap (to the highest level). That was his problem.”
Albrecht announced his retirement in October after sustaining a serious injury to his left knee last season in downhill training at Lake Louise, Alberta.
Today, the 30-year-old former racer has his own ski clothing brand — named Albright — and helps coach and mentor young skiers. — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.