Saturday, October 28, 2023

Berlusconi diagnosed with leukemia by Italian doctors

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Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy and billionaire media mogul, is currently in intensive care for a lung infection, according to his doctors. The 86-year-old has been suffering from chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CML), a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells. While the cancer cannot be cured, Berlusconi’s doctors did not specify when he was first diagnosed with the disease, only that it is not acute.

Berlusconi’s health has been a concern for some time, and his recent hospitalization has heightened fears about his condition. His close friend and business partner Fedele Confalonieri visited him in the hospital and expressed optimism about his recovery. Berlusconi’s three children, Marina, Luigi, and Pier Silvio, were also seen arriving at the hospital.

Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition, but he does not have a role in her government. Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani expressed hope that Berlusconi would return soon to take charge of the party, calling him their political leader who never gives up.

Berlusconi has served as prime minister four times and has had a significant influence on Italian politics. He made his fortune from commercial television and built Italy’s biggest commercial TV network. He also gained an international profile as owner of European football giants AC Milan before entering politics in 1994.

Berlusconi’s Fininvest family holding group still controls the MediaForEurope broadcast business, and his son Pier Silvio Berlusconi is the company’s chief executive. Despite his enduring influence on Italian politics and media, there is no obvious successor as leader of his party.

Berlusconi’s health has deteriorated in recent years, and he has had heart surgery in 2016, prostate cancer, and has been repeatedly admitted to the hospital since contracting COVID-19 in 2020. His recent hospitalization for a lung infection related to his chronic blood cancer has raised concerns about his overall health and well-being.

Many Italians have expressed sadness and concern about Berlusconi’s condition, with Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche saying she feels melancholy, awe, and fear because he was a man who was great in so many ways. Berlusconi’s legacy in Italian politics and media is significant, and his health struggles have been closely watched by many in Italy and around the world.

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