Ex-US President George HW Bush's wife Barbara in 'failing health'
What's the story
Barbara Bush, the wife of former US president George HW Bush, is in "failing health" and has decided to no longer seek medical treatment, family spokesman Jim McGrath said. Bush, 92, is being cared for at her home in Houston and has decided she does not want to go back into the hospital. She has been on oxygen for some time, McGrath said.
Diseases, treatment
Barbara has been treated for Graves' disease for decades
Barbara's husband HW Bush, daughter Dorothy, and sons Marvin and Neil are with her. McGrath said she has been treated for decades for Graves' disease, which is a thyroid condition. She also had a heart surgery in 2009 for a severe narrowing of her main heart valve and was hospitalized a year before that for surgery on a perforated ulcer.
HW Bush
George HW Bush is the longest lived US President
"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 but for others," McGrath said. "She is surrounded by a family she adores and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving," he added. Her husband, at 93, is the longest-lived US President.
Health issues
Former President HW Bush also suffered health issues
George HW Bush, the nation's 41st president, also suffered health issues and spent a period in intensive care for pneumonia last year. He suffers from a form of Parkinson's disease and uses a wheelchair. The couple has been married for 73 years. Their son, George W Bush, was elected President in 2000 and served two terms as the nation's 43rd president.