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Post by jo on Dec 29, 2013 19:00:08 GMT -5
This year, some of my favorite world personalities have fallen to serious health problems.
*First, Rafa Nadal was laid off after a 7-month injury period and it was not known if he could ever play tennis again...But yes, he did, and had the most remarkable year in his career -- ending 2013 with a # 1 ranking again! Such an admirable display of courage and determination -- he was very emotional after each championship ( he won 10 titles, including 2 Grand Slams, this year -- and in the most unlikely surface). A true champion!
*In November, we learned the heart-stopping news that Hugh Jackman has just been diagnosed with skin cancer! Right in the middle of a year that has been filled with such success and triumphs! Hopefully, he is now on the road to full recovery...and that a permanent cure to his health problem came in time!
*But my heart is breaking again -- my favorite sports hero, Michael Schumacher from Formula One, now lay in critical condition and in a coma after a skiing accident in the French Alps. Many of his worldwide fans have come together to pray for him, and in a way, he has bound the F-1 community once again. Hoping for his recovery!
Jo
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Post by njr on Dec 29, 2013 19:38:22 GMT -5
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Post by birchie on Dec 29, 2013 20:06:41 GMT -5
Our beloved sports heroes, like our favorite entertainers, do become a big part of the fabric of our lives. Friends & family always give me Red Sox things as well as Hugh things for that very reason. My son gave me a framed, numbered, limited edition poster commemorating the 2013 Red Sox for Christmas. It's always sad when one of our heroes falls. Wishing the best for your hero's complete recovery.
Sue
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Post by mamaleh on Dec 30, 2013 8:34:20 GMT -5
Jo, I hope Michael Schumacher comes through the surgery OK. Ever since Natasha Richardson died from what seemed like a minor fall on a beginner's slope, I've wondered why skiers aren't required to wear helmets of some sort. After all, skiing involves careening down mountains at great speed--and without brakes! Every other high-velocity sport that I can think of (Tour de France, Grand Prix, motorcross, etc.) requires them.
Ellen
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Post by suefb on Dec 30, 2013 9:23:39 GMT -5
In this case, he apparently was wearing a helmet. But he was skiing off the trail - a more and more common, and dangerous, practice these days. I've often wondered in the past how he (Schumi was my favorite driver as well) would manage to fill whatever need for thrills still remained after retiring from racing. By all accounts, he had become an excellent skier, but he was innately a risk taker as well, as are all racers. He has been injured before, and I just hope he recovers from this as well, mostly for the sake of his family. Unlike many F1 drivers, who have playboy reputations, Michael has always been a good family man.
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Post by mamaleh on Dec 30, 2013 11:29:41 GMT -5
I didn't realize that. So it would appear that skiing off the trail is just as dangerous as skiing without a helmet. Was Sonny Bono wearing a helmet at the time of his fatal skiing accident? I don't know.
In any case, here's hoping for a full recovery for Schumacher.
Ellen
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Post by birchie on Dec 30, 2013 13:07:48 GMT -5
In this case, he apparently was wearing a helmet. But he was skiing off the trail - a more and more common, and dangerous, practice these days. I've often wondered in the past how he (Schumi was my favorite driver as well) would manage to fill whatever need for thrills still remained after retiring from racing. By all accounts, he had become an excellent skier, but he was innately a risk taker as well, as are all racers. He has been injured before, and I just hope he recovers from this as well, mostly for the sake of his family. Unlike many F1 drivers, who have playboy reputations, Michael has always been a good family man. Professional racing has a lot of safety built in and, while it's still dangerous, it's not the same as what some of these guys do in their private lives. Sometimes these thrill seeking behaviors just make me angry. It's a bit selfish of them to do these reckless things just for a momentary thrill. I'm quite sure Paul Walker's daughter wouldn't think a quick thrill ride down the street was worth losing her father. The problem with thrill seeking behavior is that there is always a bigger thrill around the next corner...it's never enough. I think it takes maturity & a bigger sense of self-worth to know when enough is enough. We probably don't know all the facts about this latest accident but for his family's sake I hope he wasn't just being reckless. Off trail can be extremely dangerous if someone hasn't done advance scouting of the terrain or gone with an experienced guide, even then it's risky. But freak accidents happen even when doing something that seems benign. Natasha & Sonny were very sad accidents that could happen to anyone, but I don't think either of them was wearing a helmet. I was devastated at her loss as she & Liam are big favorites of mine. I don't know the stats on ski accidents but I would guess there's a high number compared to many other "family" sporting activities. People are killed & disabled every year in motorcycle accidents too, and many of these involve not wearing helmets. Another pastime that can be very dangerous is horseback riding. Who wasn't devastated by what happened to Christopher Reeve. Years ago Cole Porter suffered a disabling equestrian accident, not as serious but it affected him for the rest of his life & caused him great pain. It's always sad when these things happen and there are no easy answers. Still, I think it's harder on the families when their loved one was doing something in a reckless way and not taking proper safety precautions. Sue |
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Post by njr on Dec 30, 2013 14:29:08 GMT -5
Liam who?
Nancy
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Post by suefb on Dec 30, 2013 16:09:21 GMT -5
I assume Sue was referring to Liam Neeson, who lost his wife Natasha to a freak skiing accident. |
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Post by jo on Dec 30, 2013 19:15:37 GMT -5
I remember reading about this not so long ago, although it was from an ESPN/Sportsnation interview/chat a couple of years ago for Real Steel --
I hope Hugh is careful when enjoying the sport (presumably he is referring to snow skiing here -- I also remember reading when he took the kids for lessons on baby slopes after they moved to NYC). Although I think in Hugh's case, it is his love of outdoors, and not necessarily the speed thrill, which probably favors his sports choices. He loves skiing, cricket, rugby, and obviously watersports. He's also known for his keen game of golf and tennis. But his skin cancer scare may now limit how much he can enjoy outdoor sports.
Jo
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Post by jo on Dec 30, 2013 19:41:15 GMT -5
Michael Schumacher is a racing legend, but not too many people know about his work of philantrophy. Someone posted this twitter message on a motorsports board, citing a tweet from former President Clinton --
His most cited donation is what he gave to the rehabilitation efforts due to the post-Christmas tsunami disaster that hit southeast Asia and resulted in more than 200,000 deaths a few years ago. His donation of $10 million was the largest ever, eclipsing any donation from corporate or individual sources. It seems that part of the reasons was that one of his good friends perished with his family when the tsunami hit Thailand ( where they were on holiday). He has also been known to help individual health victims. He once recorded a message for a young fan who was in a coma...and the boy actually woke up from the coma after hearing his message!
I was lucky to have seen him race in three Grand Prix ( twice in Monaco and once in Montreal)and of course I religiously followed all his races on worldwide TV. He is very exciting to watch ( although occasionally controversial) and his focus and determination are outstanding. He was the first motorsports racer whose physical fitness regimen became legendary. He can also be brought to tears in public, due to emotional moments... LOL - he is beginning to sound like Hugh in some respects!...And oh, he is a very devoted husband and father, too! Another coincidence -- Michael was born only a few months later than Hugh! He is supposed to turn 45 on Friday, January 3.
Jo
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Post by jo on Dec 31, 2013 6:25:36 GMT -5
Schumacher's manager/spokeswoman, Sabine Kehm, has clarified the reason for the accident and a journalist has tweeted it --
Tough luck - he was trying to help a fallen skier...and met the accident himself. Also, he has a chalet in the area, so he has probably been skiing in the area for some time now.
Latest press conference attended by world journalists : the doctors noted a very slight improvement, enough for them to do a second surgery to remove a major hematoma, which procedure was successful... but they are still very guarded in their evaluation and say that he is not yet out of danger.
Jo
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Post by birchie on Dec 31, 2013 14:49:38 GMT -5
Schumacher's manager/spokeswoman, Sabine Kehm, has clarified the reason for the accident and a journalist has tweeted it -- Tough luck - he was trying to help a fallen skier...and met the accident himself. Also, he has a chalet in the area, so he has probably been skiing in the area for some time now. Latest press conference attended by world journalists : the doctors noted a very slight improvement, enough for them to do a second surgery to remove a major hematoma, which procedure was successful... but they are still very guarded in their evaluation and say that he is not yet out of danger. Jo Truly heartbreaking, I hope his recovery continues. I'm well aware of the trauma such a head injury brings. I also know that miracle happen. Prayers for his family as well. He sounds like a very special man...not unlike our Hugh! PS: yes, Sue & Nancy, in my previous post I was referring to Liam Neeson the husband of Natasha Richardson. They had two sons. I hope Michael's family don't have to suffer the fate of that family. Sue |
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Post by njr on Dec 31, 2013 19:58:56 GMT -5
I assume Sue was referring to Liam Neeson, who lost his wife Natasha to a freak skiing accident. Oh, yeah, gotcha! Nancy |
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Post by suefb on Jan 3, 2014 9:16:46 GMT -5
For good or bad, there is no news to report on the condition of Michael Schumacher, who remains in a coma today, on his 45th birthday. I feel terrible for his wife who seems to be constantly hounded by the news reporters and photographers around the hospital. Schumacher had always worked hard to keep her and their children out of the spotlight, so I'm sure he would be quite upset if he were aware of this. Anyway, I found this article about helmets and brain injuries to be quite interesting and well-written: www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/03/brain-bleed-why-michael-schumacher-s-helmet-wasn-t-enough.html |
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Post by jo on Jan 14, 2014 6:05:57 GMT -5
Tennis, anyone?
I was watching the live coverage of the AUSTRALIAN OPEN, one of the 4 Grand Slam tournaments. Of course I was cheering for Rafa Nadal in his game against young Aussie, Bernard Tomic. Before the match, the Aussie media ( including quotes from Tomic) were throwing all the mind games against Nadal ( including his negative criticism of how the courts have been made faster compared to previous years)...
Btw, the outside temperature was over 40'C and the players were both sweating profusely -- not a very easy game to go through, esp if this turned out to be a 5-setter!
During the game, Tomic seemed to have been injured in his left leg very early on, nobody knows how...He called a medical timeout after three games, which necessitated some taping. He continued to play but you can see that he was twitching painfully after every effort -- and I was actually quite sympathetic. Rafa won the first set ( and he did play very well)...and Tomic was forced to retire from the game because his pain seemed to have gotten unbearable or that a threat of a more serious injury might be the consequence if he continued.
Guess what -- some of the Aussie crowds started booing him very loudly!!!!
What??!!! Tomic had to hold his hands up in apology. I could not believe that a sports crowd could treat an athlete that way. Such unsportsmanlike conduct!
On an interesting sidenote -- one of the announcers ( who used to play professional tennis) said that in the case of Tomic, who seemed very fit, is only 21, had a good preparatory tournament -- it could have been a case of bad nerves, which caused the real injury. He was playing against the # 1 player in the world ( and seeded#1 in the tournament)and he was Australia's great big hope in a sports that used to be dominated by some Australian tennis heroes.
I wonder if performers like stage actors ever experience such a debilitating reaction, which could affect either the singing or the dancing. Hugh seems to be an exception, because he says he is usually more excited than nervous during big moments.
Jo
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Post by hu4601 on Jan 14, 2014 15:02:43 GMT -5
Tennis, anyone? I was watching the live coverage of the AUSTRALIAN OPEN, one of the 4 Grand Slam tournaments. Of course I was cheering for Rafa Nadal in his game against young Aussie, Bernard Tomic. Before the match, the Aussie media ( including quotes from Tomic) were throwing all the mind games against Nadal ( including his negative criticism of how the courts have been made faster compared to previous years)... Btw, the outside temperature was over 40'C and the players were both sweating profusely -- not a very easy game to go through, esp if this turned out to be a 5-setter! During the game, Tomic seemed to have been injured in his left leg very early on, nobody knows how...He called a medical timeout after three games, which necessitated some taping. He continued to play but you can see that he was twitching painfully after every effort -- and I was actually quite sympathetic. Rafa won the first set ( and he did play very well)...and Tomic was forced to retire from the game because his pain seemed to have gotten unbearable or that a threat of a more serious injury might be the consequence if he continued. Guess what -- some of the Aussie crowds started booing him very loudly!!!! What??!!! Tomic had to hold his hands up in apology. I could not believe that a sports crowd could treat an athlete that way. Such unsportsmanlike conduct! On an interesting sidenote -- one of the announcers ( who used to play professional tennis) said that in the case of Tomic, who seemed very fit, is only 21, had a good preparatory tournament -- it could have been a case of bad nerves, which caused the real injury. He was playing against the # 1 player in the world ( and seeded#1 in the tournament)and he was Australia's great big hope in a sports that used to be dominated by some Australian tennis heroes. I wonder if performers like stage actors ever experience such a debilitating reaction, which could affect either the singing or the dancing. Hugh seems to be an exception, because he says he is usually more excited than nervous during big moments. Jo I'm a big sports fan and do not condone booing under any circumstances, but just to add a bit of background, Bernard Tomic has had a very frosty relationship with the Australian public. He achieved fame very young and like some young popstars hasn't handled it very well. It hasn't helped that his father (his previous coach) is banned from the tennis circuit for assault of a competitor and Tomic has previously declined to play Davis Cup tennis for his country and been accused of "throwing" matches. The words arrogant, diva, abuse of police and fans, fast cars, nightclubs, Justin Bieber, spring to mind. If you google him you might see why he is not popular. However the booing should not have happened. |
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Post by jo on Jan 14, 2014 18:45:05 GMT -5
Interesting article on the booing incident -- www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tennis/when-is-it-okay-to-boo-an-athlete-or-team-representing-australia/story-fnkrowp0-1226802136758In the poll taken of the incident, almost half polled that the booing was called for  Again, I would like to relate a crowd's reaction when a "star" performer is unable to perform in a live show, such as the theatre. When announcements are made that an understudy is going to perform, we hear occasional signs of displeasure from the crowd...but I still have to hear the theatre crowd express displeasure when a performer tries to perform but is unable to continue due to injury. Two of the most heroic things I have seen onstage -- *A very long time ago, the famous Greek actress Melina Mercouri was on Broadway in the stage reprise on NEVER ON SUNDAY. During the performance I saw, it was just made known that her father had just passed away in Greece. During the performance, she kept singing and dancing but tears were coursing on her face all throughout. It wasn't just the passing of a beloved parent but she knew that she would not be able to come home to Greece, because she was persona non grata to the then government, as she was a leading political activist against the government. *I saw a performance of HELLO DOLLY with Betty Grable. Halfway through the show, she completely lost her voice. She continued singing, but no words could be heard...I can't remember how long she did this...until maybe her understudy was asked to pitch in. I guess one of the reasons why Hugh became beloved on Broadway was his persistence on performing despite his foot stress fracture, which required icing treatment before and after. Michael Reidel was eventually won over by Hugh because of this and he wrote a tribute article to Broadway's "Atlas" because of how he carried the show especially towards the end, without missing one single performance! Back to the Tomic incident -- he may be unpopular, but the crowd reaction was still not a pleasant sight to see and hear. I wonder if Rafa Nadal ( who has had a long history of injury, including his famous 7-month layoff recently) had been similarly injured, and retired during the early part of the game, would have been similarly booed. Three years ago, he insisted on completing the match with Ferrer despite an injured leg/foot. He returned the following year, and played the longest tennis match ever, with Novak Djokovic, in Australian tennis - a match which lasted almost in 6 hours -- they were so limp, they could hardly stand ( they were given chairs) during the ceremony...But who knows whether the game he played with Ferrer, disabled as he was, contributed to his eventual long layoff over a year later? Jo |
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Post by alma on Jan 14, 2014 20:46:49 GMT -5
Jo,
I was not aware of any of this, but it is surprisingly disrespectful. I also think it is an example of "mob" mentality. One on one, how many people would actually boo the athlete to his face? Probably only a couple of real jerks.
Too sad.
Alma
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Post by ADMIN on Jan 22, 2014 21:37:26 GMT -5
Update on a story I know some of you were following - - Michael Schumacher may be in 'persistent vegetative state'Full article here |
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 23, 2014 10:14:41 GMT -5
That's terrible news, especially for his young family. Hope he beats the odds and recovers.
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Post by ADMIN on Jan 30, 2014 16:33:28 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Jan 31, 2014 4:07:57 GMT -5
Fans of Michael, and even non-supporters, have been keeping a vigil-like attention to any developments. I regularly update from the ATLAS racing forum and it has been a hard number of weeks not knowing what was happening on his medical state. At this point, the family has asked that only medical bulletins from the hospital and from his manager ( Sabine Kehm) should be given any official status because of the widespread speculations in the press ( including speculative articles sourced from interviews with neurosurgeons and other medical experts, speculating on Michael's condition and longterm prognosis)...
But what is very touching are many stories of how fans have gathered in silent vigils or even showing them taking sympathy walks in many places where racing is held ( it is a worldwide sport). A recurring theme are forum messages from men who say they grew up with the memories of Michael's racing triumphs and their childhood/ young adulthood memories include the thrill of watching Michael race ( via live coverage, and sometimes occasionally having the privilege of seeing him race live). It is hard to explain but the Formula One community ( racing teams and fans) share a common experience for almost 20 races during the year in places from Australia (where it normally starts) to Europe ( its spiritual home) to Asia where it has 4 dates now, to the middle East and to South America. The USA has not always hosted a racing event but there is one and maybe even two this year. Even during the lull, people continue to reminisce and speculate ( It is testing time now -- two months before the races start in March). So the sympathy for Michael ( even if he had been a controversial racer) is always there...as we all try to monitor developments.
We are all hoping and praying that the bit of hopeful news re his comatose status continues to become better...even if we realize that this is a long, long medical process and that it may not be always positive along the way.
Always in my prayers for a good, and hopefully, a full recovery for Michael!
Jo
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Post by ADMIN on Jun 16, 2014 15:24:24 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Jun 16, 2014 15:31:10 GMT -5
We don't know how long the road to recovery ( if full recovery will even happen) could be for Michael, but at least he seemed to have passed a critical stage. I have posted a message at the Atlas Message Board (largest message board for Formula One racing), among many, many others who did the same thing. It's been such a long wait for any news.
Jo
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