Prime Minister Sharon Suffers Stroke- We're Screwed!

If you haven't heard already, Israeli PM Ariel Sharon is in the hospital in critical, but stable, condition. From what I understand, Sharon was rushed to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem last night shortly before 11, after not feeling well. He was scheduled to have minor surgery today to close a small hole in his heart. Sharon suffered "massive bleeding" in his brain making his stroke a hemorrhagic stroke. Hemorhagic strokes are caused when not enough blood makes it to the brain because of a hemorrhage. These types of strokes make up only about 10-20% of strokes. Most strokes are occlusion strokes which are caused when a blood clot blocks flow to the brain.

Only two weeks ago Sharon had a minor stroke (of the occlusion variety). Doctors attribute the cause to a defect in his heart that he has had since birth. He was put on blood thinners, ahead of today's scheduled surgery to repair his heart, which most likely is at least partially to blame for last night's problems.

So where do we go from here? At the moment, our PM lies unconscious in a hospital bed. Even if he makes a full recovery I don't see him returning to politics. But then again it's Sharon and he makes some pretty rash decisions, and seems to bounce back from anything, so who knows. If he doesn't return to politics, March's election will definitely be an interesting one. Now that so many people have left their parties to rally behind Sharon in Kadima, there really is no looking back for them. But can the party continue without Sharon? Sharon is the main, and possibly only, pillar that holds the party in any sort of balance. I'm not sure anyone other than he, knows what they are trying to do with the party, the government and the country. I'm not even sure I know what the party stands for! Does anyone other than Sharon?! Without him Kadima seems to me just a bunch of politicians who don't agree on anything but thinks it can run a government together. It's the same players just under a different name. And if anything other than this magical name change was actually going to make these people work together, it was Sharon. So for our sake I hope he gets better.

Refuah shlema to Sharon. I can't wait till March