Lele Mora hospitalized in Rome after a stroke, seeks transfer closer to family

How the collapse happened

Lele Mora was due to perform on 24 October at the Teatro San Filippo in L'Aquila, in a sold-out show titled L'uomo che creava le stelle. He had felt unwell before going on stage but chose to perform rather than disappoint the audience. The next day he was due to travel to his family in Verona by way of Rome. He lost consciousness on the train to the capital and says he then spent five days in intensive care at the Policlinico Umberto I.

“Then total darkness. The awakening was very harsh, but I am happy to still be alive.”

Medical care and recovery

He had been in hospital for 15 days when Il Messaggero interviewed him. Doctors told him that rehabilitation could take at least 60 days, and Il Giornale describes his condition as stable. The treatment is credited to Professor Giovanni Fabbrini, director of the neurology department, and Professor Francesco Pugliese, head of the emergency and urgent care unit. Mora has thanked the staff who looked after him.

“They are extraordinary people, from the doctors to the nurses.”

Family and a request to move

His daughter Diana and the priest don Felice are at his bedside, and his son Mirko has also made the long trips to visit. Don Felice is a priest Mora met in 2012, when he was placed in Don Mazzi's Exodus community after a conviction for bankruptcy. Mora wants to be moved from Rome to a facility in Verona, near his family, but finding a place in Veneto has proved difficult so far. His children and grandchildren are central to his motivation to recover.

“I want to fight for the affection I owe my two children and my grandchildren. I live for them.”

Privacy during treatment

At the family's request, Mora kept his hospitalization quiet. No notice went to colleagues or other figures from the entertainment world, and only his closest circle knew about his condition. He has said that the family matters more to him than any messages from people in the business.

What comes next

Mora's immediate goal is a gradual recovery that lets him be near his relatives. The rehabilitation period is at least 60 days, and the transfer to a facility in Verona has not yet been arranged.