- The Washington Times - Monday, December 9, 2013

Pope Francis suggested if it hadn’t been for a rogue nun going behind a doctor’s back and dramatically increasing his antibiotic dosage, he may have died at a young age.

The pope made the admission in a new book, the title of which translates into English as “The Little Flowers of Pope Francis,” The Independent reported.

In it, the pope revealed that he was being treated at a hospital for a lung infection when he was 21 years old, and one of a group of nuns who were treating him realized the doctor wasn’t giving him enough of the medicine and tripled his dose, the paper reported. He said that nun regularly worked with the sick and simply acted on her intuition that his medicine needed adjustment.

Pope Francis ultimately had the upper right portion of his lung removed — but lived.

Nowadays, his health is fine, said one journalist, Andrea Totrnielli, who covers the Vatican: “His health is good and he shows great stamina. He works many hours a day and spends many hours a week greeting people in St. Peter’s Square in the freezing cold,” The Independent reported.

• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.

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