During a visit to the European Organisation for Nuclear Research on the border of France and Switzerland in mid-1985, Hawking contracted pneumonia, which in his condition was life-threatening; he was so ill that Jane was asked if life support should be terminated. She refused but the consequence was a tracheotomy, which would require round-the-clock nursing care, and remove what remained of his speech. [55] [56] The National Health Service would pay for a nursing home, but Jane was determined that he would live at home. The cost of the care was funded by an American foundation. [57] [58] Nurses were hired for the three shifts required to provide the round-the-clock support he required. One of those employed was Elaine Mason, who was to become Hawking's second wife.

Wow. It's all there, we only have to unwind it. First of all, if you have had ALS for 23 years and have pneumonia to the point that doctors are recommending life support be terminated, a tracheotomy isn't going to cure you immediately. A tracheotomy is just the procedure of drilling a hole in your windpipe so you can breath through it instead of your nose or mouth. But the problems obviously went far beyond that, or they wouldn't have been recommending life support termination.

I'd love to have a medical professional weigh in on this.