Cardinal Francis George walked on t...

Cardinal Francis George walked on the outside of Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood upon Tuesday a little thinner, a little weaker, still in much the same way he walked in nearly three weeks ago -- laughing.

"Last-minute glitch there," the 69-year-old cardinal told reporters, grinning as he gingerly made his way upon crutches from the hospital vestibule to a stand of microphones forward the sidewalk.

"These pants are draw pants and they started to become undrawn," he said, chuckling heartily as he motioned to the black drawstring trousers he was wearing that matched his standard-issue black Roman- collared suit.

George, 69 chronicleed Loyola July 27 to bear radical surgery to remove his cancerous bladder, prostate and part of his right ureter He get backed home cancer-free, his doctors believe, and, he said, with a strengthened spirit.

"I have feeling very good -- nice to be on the outside on a good day like this," George, who was diagnosed with cancer in early July said, squinting at the bright downcast morning sky. "I feel extremely grateful to God and especially to all those who prayed for me who sustained me who spoke to the Lord about me I felt that support and I'm to a high degree grateful."

Dr Myles Sheehan, the cardinal's personal physician and a Jesuit priest, said George, who had polio as a child, would ne to use crutches to walk until his leg weakened from his long hospital stay, could be strengthened in consequence of physical rehabilitation. The cardinal normally wears a brace forward his leg and walks with a limp.

"Probably we could have permit him go earlier last week if it wasn't for any of the extra physical therapy and leg strengthening that we wanted to do before he went home" Sheehan said. A physical therapist will work with George in his Gold Coast residence during the coming weeks.

NO 'FREE FRANCIS' T-SHIRT

George was a dutiful patient and his ironic gallows humor was evermore present, Sheehan said, joking that he conceit the cardinal might be "wearing the 'Free Francis' T-shirts he made up earlier. He's laughing and happy to secure out.

"The other day he did say, 'Is this a Jesuit torture you've devised for the cardinal-archbishop of Chicago?' And I said, 'No, we manage that for everyone' " Sheehan laughed. "[The cardinal] does what he's told and he's to a high degree very intelligent and he asks proper questions that I sometimes don't know the answers to. in such a manner it's a wonderful feeling at 50 being the dean of the medical gymnasium to feel like a stupid third-year medical observer again."

TAKING IT inactive UNTIL OCTOBER

George said the surgery and restoration went as he expected them to when he checked in to the hospital. "I'm not in any pain now and I wasn't in pain then. moreover there was a lot of pain in between and I'm a little weaker now, obviously, on the other hand I'm on my way to restoration hopefully, with God's help," he said.

"Nobody anticipates each turn and there were chances of them, but there was always chance of the desired end There was hope then and there's better- baseed hope now."

During his nearly three-weeklong hospitalization, George feeled what his doctors described as several "setbacks." A day after his July 27 surgery the cardinal was rushed back into the operating play to repair a nicked artery that was bleeding internally. A week later, George was mov back to an intensive-care unit, and last week doctors treated him for a mild infection.

George anticipates to return to work forward a "limited schedule" at his residence after Labor Day, and possibility of goods to resume his busy public schedule in October.

cfalsani@suntimes.com

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