22.4.2004
Maradona Escapes Critical Condition
On Wednesday, April 21, Maradona's daughter Dalma as well as his doctors confirmed that Diego is improving and will be taken off respirators in the following few days. He is currently being treated in isolation, accompanied only by his closest relatives.
Diego Maradona has been in intensive care since last Sunday, April 17.
He entered a private clinic with breathing difficulties and a swollen heart.
The 43-year-old Argentine legend acquired pneumonia and is being treated with antibiotics to fight a lung infection.
No one has yet suggested a link between Diego's illness and his previous hospitalizations due to cocaine abuse. Interestingly, his personal physician Dr. Alfredo Cahe has suggested that Maradona could be in for a long hospital stay.
The Buenos Aires clinic, where Diego is being treated, has been flocked by hundreds of fans that plastered the walls with messages of support and basically closed down street traffic. Honking horns and drum-beating got so loud late Tuesday that the clinic issued a statement demanding silence.
Maradona's illness has not gone unnoticed by his numerous fans. Boca Juniors supporters chanted his name throughout Wednesday's Libertadores Cup match against Bolivar. Many famous footballers including Platini have also expressed their support.