WASHINGTON — Former President George H.W. Bush’s breathing “has returned to normal” but he will stay in the hospital Monday night, an aide said. It will be his seventh straight night since being admitted last week.
“President Bush’s breathing has returned to normal, but he will remain at the Houston Methodist Hospital tonight pending final approval from his doctors to return home. Both President and Mrs. Bush wish to thank everyone for their good wishes and prayers,” Bush family spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement.
Bush, 90, was taken to the hospital last Tuesday night in an ambulance as a precautionary measure after experiencing shortness of breath. McGrath said in previous statements that Bush had been in “high spirits” during the stay, and that he received visits from his wife, Barbara, son Neil and daughter-in-law Maria Bush on Christmas Day.
The 41st President also had to celebrate Christmas in the hospital two years ago, when he spent two months hospitalized for bronchitis and a persistent cough. Aides say, however, his current condition is considerably less serious.
While the elder Bush will celebrate his 91st birthday in June and suffers from Parkinson’s disease, he remains active. Last month he appeared with his son, former President George W. Bush, at an event launching the younger Bush’s book about his father.
