Barbara Bush, the 92-year-old First Lady, is in failing health and has now decided to stop receiving any further medical care, transitioning to “comfort care,” according to a statement from the Office of George H.W. Bush.
The beloved Bush family matriarch has had bouts of medical trouble in the past, when both she and her husband, the former president, were hospitalized. However, this sounds more serious. You can read the Bush statement on the First Lady’s health here:
Statement by the Office of George H. W. Bush on the health of former First Lady Barbara Bush.
The statement reads:
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 will instead focus on comfort care. 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. She is surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving.
Barbara Bush has been suffering from congestive heart failure and COPD and no longer wishes to go back to the hospital. In addition to being the wife of former President George H.W. Bush, she is the mother of former President George W. Bush, according to CNN.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) “is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. Symptoms include breathing difficulty, cough, mucus (sputum) production and wheezing.” It can lead to heart failure over time. It’s a treatable and chronic condition, but the symptoms are known to worsen over time, Mayo Clinic reports.
Many people offered prayers and tributes for and to Barbara Bush as word spread about her health issues.
George H.W. and Barbara Bush.
In 2017, both Barbara and George H.W. Bush ended up in the hospital. “Mrs. Bush was admitted to the Houston Methodist Hospital this morning as a precaution after experiencing fatigue and coughing,” a Bush family spokesperson said at that time. However, the First Lady was eventually discharged and seemed to recover. Both Bushes were present at the coin toss for Super Bowl 2017.
In 2017, George W. Bush gave an update on both of his parents’ health conditions.
Former President George W. Bush gives an update on his parents’ health and says he looks forward to representing them at the #Inauguration
According to US News and World Report, George H.W. and Barbara Bush are the longest married presidential couple in U.S. history, trailed by John and Abigail Adams, who were married for 54 years. The Bushes have been married for 73 years.
“Barbara Bush was born Barbara Pierce on June 8, 1925, in New York City. Her mother, Pauline Pierce, was the daughter of an Ohio Supreme Court justice and dedicated to conservation efforts as a chairwoman of the Garden Club of America,” Biography.com reports.
Her father, Marvin Pierce, was a distant descendant of 14th President of the United States Franklin Pierce and president of the McCall Corporation, which published the well-known magazines McCall’s and Redbook.”
She met George H.W. Bush when she was a teenager. The Bushes had six children together. George H.W. Bush is 93-years-old. You can see photos of the Bushes over the years here: