The condition of a Montreal Canadiens prospect who has been in a coma since the beginning of the month is stable and improving, doctors in Saskatoon said Thursday.
Western Hockey League player Tim Bozon, a 19-year-old forward with the Kootenay Ice, was diagnosed with Neisseria meningitis after he was admitted to Royal University Hospital March 1. His team played the Saskatoon Blades the previous night.
He was admitted to the intensive care unit in critical condition and his parents were flown to Saskatoon from Switzerland.
The Saskatoon Health Region said Thursday his condition was still critical but stable and improving. Doctors were working to slowly wake Bozon from the coma and his family indicated he was responding to verbal stimuli, the region said.
“Tim’s parents, Philippe and Helene, have been overwhelmed by the e-mail and social media messages from people around the world showing their support for their son,” read a Saskatoon health press release. “The family also wants to express thanks to the doctors and staff at Royal University Hospital for the care Tim has received.”
Players on the Kootenay Ice, the Saskatoon Blades and several other WHL teams were offered antibiotics shortly after Bozon was diagnosed. No reports of other players being diagnosed with meningitis have surfaced since Bozon was admitted.
Bozon scored his 33rd goal of the season Feb. 28 against the Blades.
The WHL has since established a trust fund to assist the Bozon family with medical and rehabilitation costs.
