Fabrice Muamba Update: Latest News and Info on Bolton Star Following Collapse

Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba continues to improve each day at London Chest Hospital after he collapsed on the pitch during an FA Cup match against Tottenham on Saturday, March 17.

UPDATE: Friday, March 23 at 8:30 a.m. ET by Mike Chiari

Although it appears as though Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba has averted disaster after suffering cardiac arrest on the pitch last Saturday, he still has a long way to go in his recovery. According to Mirror Football, a statement was released saying that Muamba hopes that everyone will keep him in their prayers.

Muamba continues to recover in the London Chest Hospital and there is no timetable in terms of when he might be released. There also has yet to be any indication with regards to whether he will one day be able to resume his soccer career.

UPDATE: Wednesday, March 21 at 12 p.m. ET by Mike Chiari

Shocking news regarding Fabrice Muamba's sudden collapse on the pitch Saturday continues to filter in. According to BBC, Bolton team doctor Jonathan Tobin feared the worst for Muamba and didn't expect the full recovery that he seems to be making. In fact, Muamba was given 16 defibrillator shocks on the field and in the ambulance, but none of them worked.

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It was 48 minutes when he collapsed to reaching hospital and a further 30 minutes after that, Tobin said. He was, in effect, dead at that time.

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For Muamba to have gone from what Tobin describes as dead to where he is now is nothing short of a miracle.

UPDATE: Wednesday, March 21 at 11:25 a.m. ET by Mike Chiari

Fabrice Muamba's progress has continued as he remains hospitalized after suffering cardiac arrest. According to Mirror Football, Bolton's team doctor Jonathan Tobin visited Muamba in the hospital on Tuesday and Muamba said that he was "fine." 

Since Muamba appears to be continually improving, the Wanderers have decided to move forward and face Blackburn on Saturday as scheduled.

UPDATE: Tuesday, March 20 at 12:17 p.m. ET

According to Bolton Wanderers' official Twitter account, supporters of the club are invited to gather at the Reebok Stadium Tuesday evening for a prayer.

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Bolton Wanderers supporters are invited to attend the Reebok Stadium for quiet reflection and prayer in support of Fabrice this evening.

— Official BWFC (@OfficialBWFC) March 20, 2012"

UPDATE: Monday, March 19 at 5:45 p.m. ET

Muamba is now responding to his family's questions and is breathing independently, according to Mirror Football's Staff.

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"The hospital treating Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba has confirmed the player can now recognise family members and respond to their questions.

Forty-eight hours after he collapsed during an FA Cup quarter-final tie against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, where he suffered a cardiac arrest, it is the clearest indication yet that Muamba is winning his battle for life.

'Fabrice Muamba remains in intensive care at the London Chest Hospital and is continuing to show signs of improvement this evening,' said the joint statement released by the London Chest Hospital and Bolton.

'He is now able to breathe independently, without the aid of a ventilator and he is able to recognise family members and respond to questions appropriately. These are positive signs of progress.'

'However, his condition remains serious and our medical staff in intensive care will continue to monitor and treat him.'"

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Update: Monday, March 19 at 1:45 p.m. ET by Tim Daniels

Rob Harris of the Associated Press passes along more encouraging news about Muamba:

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BREAKING: Friend of Fabrice Muamba tells The Associated Press that the footballer is speaking again

— Rob Harris (@RobHarrisUK) March 19, 2012"

Once again, more steady progress. While the news about Muamba continues to trend in the right direction, it's important to remain cautious. He still needs to be monitored closely as mentioned in the previous update, but things are looking up.

Keep checking back for the latest updates on his recovery. Hopefully they are all as positive as the last two have been.

Update: Monday, March 19 at 11:45 a.m. ET by Tim Daniels

Muamba isn't out of the woods yet, but the Bolton star is starting to make progress in his recovery after the scary weekend incident. The team's official site provided an update on his status:

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His heart is now beating without the help of medication and he is also moving his arms and his legs.

However, his long-term prognosis will remain unclear for some time. He is still critically ill and will continue to be closely monitored and treated by staff in The London Chest Hospital's intensive care unit.

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Even though everybody would like his status to greatly improve overnight, the chances of that happening are slim. As the report indicates, it's going to be a gradual process and victories like getting his heart to beat without medication are a step in the right direction.

He was always a fighter on the field, and now Muamba is proving he's one off of it as well. Hopefully the prognosis continues to improve in days and weeks ahead.

Bolton and the hospital released a statement updating Muamba's condition, which read:

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"Fabrice Muamba remains in a critical condition in intensive care in the heart attack centre at the London Chest Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital yesterday evening after collapsing at White Hart Lane where he sustained a cardiac arrest during the FA Cup quarterfinal against Tottenham Hotspur.

"Fabrice received prolonged resuscitation at the ground and en route to the London Chest Hospital where his heart eventually started working. As is normal medical practice, Fabrice remains anaesthetised in intensive care and will be for at least 24 hours. His condition continues to be closely monitored by the cardiac specialists at the hospital."

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Football fans throughout the country have left flowers and other items to show their support for the Bolton midfielder.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle stressed that the next 24 hours for Muamba will be crucial, according to The Metro:

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"We've got to understand that Fabrice is critically ill. The next 24 hours are going to be absolutely crucial. We've obviously been inundated with people wishing him well and we hope that if everybody can pray strongly that Fabrice is able to recover.

"It's very serious. There's no getting away from that. God willing, he makes it through."

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On Saturday evening, Bolton requested that their league match against Aston Villa on Wednesday be postponed, a request that was respected by the Premier League and Villa on Sunday. Bolton's next league match will now be on Saturday against Blackburn Rovers at the Reebok Stadium.

The decision to delay Wednesday's match was certainly the best decision. It would be very hard for the players to fully invest themselves into the match while their minds would be on Muamba and his condition.

Bolton may also choose not to resume their FA Cup fixture versus Tottenham, which would allow Spurs to advance to the semifinal, where they would face either Sunderland or Everton. Saturday's match was level at 1-1 when Muamba collapsed and the decision was reached to not finish the match.

During Chelsea's FA Cup match against Leicester City on Sunday, Muamba's former teammate and current Blues defender Gary Cahill opened the scoring and revealed a "Pray 4 Muamba" shirt following the goal.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Muamba and his family, and we wish him a successful recovery.

Follow @NicholasGoss35