In the afternoon of February 28, Pope Francis had been cared for at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome for two weeks. Suddenly, the situation worsened – the Pope had difficulty breathing and whispered for help: "It's bad".
We were forced to choose whether to stop and let him go, or continue to try all possible medications and treatments – with a very high risk of damaging other organs. In the end, we chose the latter path, says doctor Sergio Alfieri to the newspaper.
That evening was terrible, says Alfieri. Everyone – including Pope Francis himself – knew that he might not survive the night. The staff in the room had tears in their eyes.
Even after that, the situation was extremely fragile. A few days later, when the Pope began to respond to the treatment, he had hiccups while eating. It was the second truly critical moment, tells the doctor.
It was terrible, we really thought we wouldn't make it.
On Sunday, Francis was discharged from the Gemelli Hospital and was able to return home. That the Pope ultimately came out on the other side describes Alfieri as a miracle – in combination with the Pope never losing hope and always being in good spirits.
I can say that the situation was lost on two occasions. Then the miracle happened.
Now a long convalescence awaits in the Pope's home, the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican.
