Recovering Bush salutes Bagwell in tweet
Former President George H.W. Bush, who is in the intensive care unit at Houston Methodist Hospital, remained in stable condition but was described as better Thursday, the day after doctors inserted a breathing tube to treat his pneumonia.
Jim McGrath, the Bush family spokesman, said the 92-year-old had a good night’s rest and his medical team is “actively evaluating” when he will be ready for the removal of the tube, which has provided support for his lungs. It was inserted Wednesday after Bush’s pneumonia took a turn for the worse.
“We are hopeful he will be discharged from the ICU in a few days,” McGrath said in the statement.
When that occurs, Bush will be transferred to a regular hospital room as doctors continue treating his pneumonia. He was admitted to the hospital on Saturday for shortness of breath.
Bush’s wife, Barbara, who was admitted to Methodist Hospital on Wednesday as a precaution after she began experiencing fatigue and coughing, was feeling “1,000% better” Thursday morning, McGrath said. She was diagnosed Wednesday evening with bronchitis.
“Antibiotics and some good rest seem to have restored her to better health,” the spokesman said.
The possibility that the 41st president would be transferred to a regular hospital room in a few days represented a hopeful sign after Wednesday’s news. Pulmonologists not involved in his care said then that the treatment he was receiving suggested he had a severe case of pneumonia, a worrisome illness for a person his age.
Former President George W. Bush wrote in an Instagram post Thursday that “41 and Mom are doing much better today and fighting on.” The younger Bush expressed thanks for the “messages of love and support for Mother and Dad” and said he and his wife Laura “look forward to representing them at the Inauguration tomorrow while they continue to recover in Houston.”
A week ago, prior to the hospitalization, the elder Bush wrote Presidentelect Donald Trump to express his regret that health issues would prevent him from attending Friday’s inauguration. He wrote that “my doctor says if I sit outside in January, it likely will put me six feet under.”
McGrath also appeared upbeat in his Thursday statement. It noted that the Bushes received “an uplifting visit from their dear friends Jim and Susan Baker last night, and are deeply appreciative for the wonderful care they are receiving — as well as the prayers and good wishes from far and wide.”
Bush also approved a tweet Thursday posted on his @GeorgeHWBush account offering “hearty congrats” to former Astros baseball player Jeff Bagwell on his election Wednesday to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bush called the Astros’ slugging first baseman a “good friend and great player.”