Pope's Doctor Reveals Shocking Details: "Francis Almost Died"
"That was the worst moment. For the first time, I saw tears in the eyes of his staff," said Alfieri. "We were all aware that the situation had further deteriorated and there was a danger that the Pope would not make it. (...) Francis was always awake. That night was terrible, he knew just as well as we did that he might not survive the night. But from the first day, he asked us to tell him the truth (...) about his condition," explained the 58-year-old doctor.
Damage to the kidneys and bone marrow was feared
The Pope urged the doctors to do everything to save his life. "'Try everything, don't give up,' the Pope told us. That's what we all did, no one gave up," said the Roman surgeon. "For days, we risked damage to the kidneys and bone marrow, but we continued. Then the body responded to the treatment and the lung infection subsided," the doctor explained. Then another crisis came. "It was terrible, we were convinced that we might not succeed. The Pope was always aware of everything. I believe it was precisely his high level of awareness that kept him alive," emphasized the doctor.
"Apart from a very strong heart, the Pope has incredible resources. That kept him alive, along with the fact that the whole world was praying for him," reported the physician. The Pope has the mind "of a 50-year-old." He was also informed about misinformation claiming he had already long been dead. "He reacted with his usual humor," Alfieri recounted.
Pope treated nurses on the ward to pizza
As soon as he felt better, the Pope wanted to look around the ward, according to Alfieri, to meet the eyes of the other patients. "We asked him if he wanted us to close the patient rooms, but instead he sought the eyes of the other patients. He moved around in a wheelchair. One day he left the room five times, maybe even more. He gave money to one of the staff and offered pizza to those who had taken care of him," the doctor reported.
Now the recovery phase has begun for the Pope. "He must avoid contact with groups of people or with children who can transmit infections. Shortly before his hospital discharge (on Sunday, note), we promised each other not to undo the efforts we had made. But Francis is the Pope, we cannot impose behavior on him," concluded the physician.
(APA/Red)
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