Pope Francis' Doctors Considered Letting Him Die Amid Health Crisis
Originally appeared on E! Online
Pope Francis made a miraculous recovery.
After the pope returned home following a 38-day hospital stay, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who cared for the pontiff, admitted they did not think he would 'survive the night' amid a Feb. 28 breathing crisis.
'We needed to choose whether to stop and let him go, or to push it and attempt with all of the possible drugs and the treatments, taking the very high risk of damaging other organs,' Alfierfi told Milan's Corriere della Sera in a March 25 interview, per the Associated Press. 'In the end, that is the path we chose.'
Indeed, while the course of action was grueling for the 88-year-old—even adding risk of damage to his kidneys and bone marrow—his personal healthcare assistant, Massimilano Strappetti, whom the doctor said 'perfectly' knew what Francis would have wanted urged them to 'try everything, don't give up.'
As Alfieri explained that even through a second breathing crisis three days later, 'We continued, and his body responded to the treatments and the lung infection improved.'
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The doctor noted that he believes the world's prayers and well wishes for the pope kept him fighting, an idea he said was backed by scientific literature.
'In this case the whole world was praying,' he explained. 'I can say that twice the situation was lost, and then it happened like a miracle.'
Alfieri also complimented Pope Francis' manner during his lengthy stay in the hospital, adding, 'Of course he was a very cooperative patient.'
Pope Francis—who was admitted to Gemelli Hospital Feb. 14 for a severe respiratory infection—was officially discharged from the hospital and returned to Vatican City March 23, which marked the beginning of two additional months of at-home rest and recovery.
And while he has yet to make a public statement since his return to the Apostolic Palace, the Catholic Church's leader expressed gratitude for the world's concern amid his now-improving health earlier this month.
'I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the Square,' he said in a voice note shared by the Vatican March 6. 'I accompany you from here. May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.'
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