Former Bears standout Steve McMichael responding well to treatment for MRSA

Steve McMichael is responding well to antibiotics given him to treat MRSA, a staph infection that is resistant to some medications. His improvement has left his wife Misty optimistic that the former Bears star, who has ALS, can leave a New Lenox hospital this week.

“He’s Mongo,” she said in a statement Sunday, “and his DNA is different.”

Monday, she said he continued to improve.

McMichael was rushed to the emergency room Thursday with what Misty at first feared was pneumonia, He was instead diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and put on three antibiotics to treat it. Saturday, though, he was diagnosed with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and his family asked for prayers.

McMichael was announced as the latest member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this month. Misty hopes McMichael — who can neither speak nor move on his own — can attend the enshrinement in Canton, Ohio, in August. She said he’s working on a speech with the help of advanced technology.