St. Carlo Acutis’ doctors recall his last days in the hospital
Doctors and a hospital chaplain recalled Carlo Acutis’ final days after he was diagnosed with leukemia at age 15. The chaplain remembered Carlo’s serene devotion as he received the anointing of the sick and Holy Communion shortly before falling into a coma. Carlo’s doctors said his faith, courage, empathy, and concern for others left a lasting impression on them. Acutis, known for his devotion to the Eucharist and websites about Eucharistic miracles, was canonized by Pope Leo XIV in 2025.
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St. Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old devoted to the Eucharist, died on Oct. 12, 2006, after a rapid illness from acute promyelocytic leukemia. Accounts of his final days describe his sudden decline, his family’s presence, and the composure and faith remembered by the hospital chaplain and doctors who cared for him. 1
In early October 2006, Carlo was preparing to present a school exhibition about Eucharistic miracles, based on research he had gathered for a website. He collapsed on Oct. 1 and was taken to hospital; after initially appearing to improve and being discharged, he became too unwell to get out of bed. Further tests revealed a rare leukemia that could not be treated, and the exhibition opened without him on Oct. 4. 1
Carlo’s condition worsened quickly. On Oct. 10, hospital chaplain Father Sandro Villa administered the anointing of the sick and Communion; the following day, Carlo entered a coma after a brain hemorrhage associated with the M3 subtype of acute myeloid leukemia. He died on Oct. 12, with his family beside him. 1
Villa recalled being struck by Carlo’s pale but serene face and by the composure and devotion with which he received the sacraments, despite his difficulty. Villa later said that learning more about Carlo’s devotion to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist helped him understand the teenager’s words and demeanor.
Doctors Andrea Biondi and Mòmcilo Jankovic remembered Carlo as a brief but memorable presence in the pediatric clinic. They described his eyes as conveying attention, courage, love, and empathy, and said his faith and concern for others left them with a lasting impression.
Before becoming ill, Carlo attended daily Mass, made Holy Hours, and went to confession weekly. Through his programming skills, he created websites about Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions; he also wrote that receiving the Eucharist more often helps people become more like Jesus.
Carlo’s parents wished to donate his organs, but leukemia had compromised them too severely. His heart is now preserved as a relic in Assisi, where its reliquary bears his words, “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.” Carlo was beatified in 2020 and canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 7, 2025.*
Christian holiness integrates suffering, Eucharistic devotion, and ordinary life
Christian holiness is not divided into separate compartments: suffering, Eucharistic devotion, and ordinary life belong together when they are lived in union with Christ and shaped by charity.
The Eucharist is the center of this integration. It makes present Christ’s self-gift in his Passion, and worship is meant to become a way of life: offering ourselves, sharing life with the community, and standing in solidarity with others. In this sense, Eucharistic devotion is not an escape from everyday responsibilities; it gives them their Christian meaning and strength.
Suffering can also be joined to Christ’s self-offering. Christian hope does not make pain good in itself or require anyone to seek it. Rather, when suffering cannot be avoided, faith can help a person bear it without surrendering to despair—and move that person toward compassion for others who suffer. The example of Chiara Luce Badano, whose love for the Eucharist strengthened her to live for others amid declining health, shows how Eucharistic communion can sustain such generous love.
This holiness need not look extraordinary from the outside. Benedict XVI describes it as Sunday encounter with the risen Christ, brief daily contact with God, and decisions guided by love of God and neighbor. The saints include people whose goodness was quiet and ordinary, as well as those whose lives involved visible sacrifice. Pope Francis likewise points to the modest virtues of daily life—kindness, gentleness, honesty, and unassuming service—as signs of Christian holiness.
Together, these themes show a single pattern: the Eucharist draws a person into Christ’s self-giving love; that love helps the person endure unavoidable suffering with hope and accompany others in theirs; and it takes concrete form in the ordinary duties and relationships of each day. Holiness is not a life apart from the world, but a life gradually transformed by Christ’s love.