Former First Lady Barbara Bush in failing health: Family spokesman

[ad_1]

Former First Lady Barbara Bush, who has been battling congestive heart failure, has decided not to seek additional medical treatment and go home from a hospital to be “surrounded by a family she adores,” according to a statement released Sunday by the office of former President George H.W. Bush.

Mrs. Bush, 92, has been hospitalized several times in Houston, Texas, over the past year to be treated for chronic pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, her family has said.

PHOTO: Former U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush discusses her White House experience during a day-long symposium titled Americas First Ladies-An Enduring Legacy at the George Bush Presidential Library Center at Texas A&M, Nov. 14, 2011. — Former U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush discusses her White House experience during a day-long symposium titled “America’s First Ladies-An Enduring Legacy” at the George Bush Presidential Library Center at Texas A&M, Nov. 14, 2011.

“Following a recent series of hospitalizations, and after consulting her family and doctors, Mrs. Bush, now age 92, has decided not to seek additional medical treatment, and instead will focus on comfort care,” read a statement released by her husband’s office.

PHOTO: In this Sept. 2, 2008 file photo, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, left, and former first lady Barbara Bush are seen at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. — In this Sept. 2, 2008 file photo, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, left, and former first lady Barbara Bush are seen at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

“It will not surprise those who know her that Barbara Bush has been a rock in the face of her failing health, worrying not for herself — thanks to her abiding faith, but for others,” the statement reads. “She is surrounded by a family she adores and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving.”

PHOTO: In a Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013, file photo, former first lady Barbara Bush listens to a patients question during a visit to the Barbara Bush Childrens Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. — In a Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013, file photo, former first lady Barbara Bush listens to a patient’s question during a visit to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine.

In January, Mrs. Bush and her husband were hospitalized at the same time. She was being treated by bronchitis and the nation’s 41st president was being treated for pneumonia.

Barbara Bush served as the country’s first lady from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States.