You have to hand it to Ariel Sharon. He never says die.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s doctors on Sunday completed a new brain scan of the Israeli leader, Hadassah Hospital officials said.The results showed slight improvement in Sharon’s condition, as he remained in stable yet critical condition.Doctors said they would begin to pull Sharon out of an induced coma on Monday morning, assuming that no negative changes were recorded until then.The tests on Sunday showed no increase in intracranial pressure, and the prime minister’s other vital signs were within the normal range as well.Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) Director-General Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef emphasized on Sunday afternoon that Sharon had no fever.Earlier, the hospital said Sharon’s condition had not changed overnight, and that he remained in critical but stable condition.The chances that Sharon will survive his massive stroke are “very high. He is a very strong man, and he is getting the best care,” Dr. Jose Cohen, the neurosurgeon who has performed three operations on Sharon, said on Saturday.
Given that his chances of survival a few days ago were said to be “slim”, this represents a more hopeful prognosis. However, let us not forget that even if the Prime Minister does survive, he won’t ever be the Prime Minister again, and won’t even be the same Ariel Sharon.
Cohen warned, however, that the prime minister remained in serious condition, and noted: “He will not continue to be prime minister, but maybe he will be able to understand and to speak.”
Updates
9:45PM: Sources have characterized the above interview with Dr Cohen as “too optimistic,” which “can lead to interpretations that the PM’s condition is better than what it is in reality.”
