Bob Hope Could Leave Hospital in a Few Days

Comedian Bob Hope continued his recovery from pneumonia on Friday and was expected to return home within a few days, his doctor said.

But the 98-year-old entertainer remained weakened and may need several weeks to regain his health, said Dr. Lee Kagan, his personal physician.

Hope remained in serious but stable condition at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he was taken Sunday after having trouble breathing at his Toluca Lake home.

“I’m impressed with how quickly he has responded,” Kagan said at a hospital news conference. “He has turned around as quickly as I might have expected from a much younger person.”

Hope had not yet displayed any of his characteristic wit, Kagan said, but the comic has begun to speak again, although with limited ability.

Kagan credited Hope’s recovery to early treatment of the pneumonia.

“He was sick,” Kagan said emphatically. “Had this not been treated quickly, it could have gone downhill very quickly and the result could have been catastrophic.”

Hope was receiving antibiotics, intravenous fluids and respiratory therapy.

Hope’s wife and daughter have been by his side almost constantly since he was admitted.

In a statement Thursday, Hope’s wife, Dolores, expressed “heartfelt thanks” to friends, fans and the media for their get-well wishes.

“And, please, keep us in your prayers,” she added.

Pneumonia, an infection of the lungs, is caused primarily by bacteria. About 2 million Americans die of the illness each year.