Mother Teresa May Be Released Within Week

Mother Teresa of Calcutta walked for the first time Sunday since being hospitalized Dec. 26 at Scripps Clinic & Research Center in La Jolla for treatment of pneumonia, and is expected to be released within a week, her doctors said.

The condition of the 81-year-old Catholic missionary was upgraded from serious to fair Saturday after she responded well to treatment for congestive heart failure brought on by the pneumonia.

The procedures included an angioplasty to clear arterial blockage and a coronary stent, which holds open the artery.

For the past few days, Mother Teresa has been sitting up in a chair and eating solid foods, as well as reading hundreds of letters and telegrams wishing her a speedy recovery. On Saturday, she watched the annular eclipse from her bed.

Doctors cautioned Saturday that they are still concerned about the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s condition. Like any patient who has undergone an angioplasty, the chances are 20% to 30% that the artery will become blocked again within a short time.

Although her lungs are beginning to clear, she has been slow to recover from pneumonia, doctors Patricia Aubanel and Paul Teirstein said.

Mother Teresa checked into the hospital after a stay in Tijuana. While in Tijuana, she visited Los Angeles twice, complaining of flu-like symptoms but refusing treatment.