PORTLAND — Former President George H.W. Bush fractured a bone in his neck when he took a tumble at his oceanside summer home, but he suffered no neurological impairment and the injury will be allowed to heal on its own, which is expected to take three to four months, officials said Thursday.
Bush, at 91 the oldest living former president, remained hospitalized in fair condition a day after he fell at his home in Kennebunkport.
The fracture to his C2 vertebrae — the second one below the skull — didn’t impinge on his spine and didn’t lead to any neurological deficits, spokesman Jim McGrath said. The 41st president never lost consciousness and was being fitted with a brace to immobilize his neck, McGrath said.
Dr. William D’Angelo, a neurosurgeon who is treating Bush at Maine Medical Center, said the former president was lucky the fracture wasn’t more serious.
“He’s in great spirits,” D’Angelo told reporters outside the hospital. “He’s with family. As his wife said, it takes a lot more than this to knock his spirts down. He was shot down over the Pacific in World War II. She said this is a small bump in the road.”
Bush is being treated at the state’s largest medical facility, where a children’s hospital is named for his wife. The family declined to say how he fell.
A hospital spokesman said it was premature to speculate about when Bush will be released, but McGrath suggested it won’t be a lengthy stay. “We do not discuss timelines for discharge, but do not believe this will be a prolonged recovery period at MMC,” he said.
D’Angelo said the injury is common among seniors who fall and can be painful. “It’s a significant injury, but right now the president is in excellent shape, and we anticipate he’ll make a full recovery,” the doctor said.
“He’s tough. He can take it,” D’Angelo said. “He’s doing great, his spirits are good, and he’s up and talking, and out of bed.”
President Barack Obama called Bush on Thursday morning to wish him a speedy recovery, a White House spokesman said. Obama made the call from Oklahoma, where he spent the night ahead of a visit to a federal prison there.
Bush, who has a form of Parkinson’s disease and uses a motorized scooter or a wheelchair for mobility, has suffered other recent health setbacks. He was hospitalized in Houston in December for about a week for shortness of breath. He spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care at the same Houston hospital for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues.
The Republican served two terms as Ronald Reagan’s vice president before being elected president in 1988. He lost to Democrat Bill Clinton amid voters’ concerns about the economy after one term, highlighted by the success of the 1991 Gulf War in Kuwait.
Bush was a naval aviator in World War II and his torpedo plane was shot down over the Pacific. He also served as ambassador to China and CIA director.
He is the father of Republican former President George W. Bush. Another Bush son, Republican former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is running for president in 2016.
The family patriarch celebrated his 90th birthday by making a tandem parachute jump near his Kennebunkport home. He celebrated a low-key 91st birthday with his family there. During the winter, Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, live in Houston.
UPDATED 10:40 A.M: PORTLAND — A Maine hospital says 91-year-old former President George H.W. Bush is in fair condition after he fell and broke a bone in his neck.
The 41st president and oldest living former president fell on Wednesday at his summer home in Kennebunkport. A Bush spokesman says he’s doing OK and is wearing a neck brace.
A hospital spokesman said Thursday morning that Bush was taken to Portland’s Maine Medical Center early Wednesday afternoon. Spokesman Matt Paul would not release other details.
The hospital says it’s premature to speculate about when he’ll be released.
Bush has a form of Parkinson’s disease. He was hospitalized in Houston in December for shortness of breath. He spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care there for a bronchitis-related cough.
The Republican served two terms as Ronald Reagan’s vice president before being elected president in 1988.
UPDATED 9:50 A.M: KENNEBUNKPORT — Former President George H.W. Bush, at 91 the oldest living former president, was being treated at a hospital early Thursday for a broken bone in his neck suffered in a fall.
Bush, the 41st U.S. president, fell on Wednesday at his summer home in Kennebunkport but was doing OK and was wearing a neck brace, a Bush spokesman said.
“41 fell at home in Maine today and broke a bone in his neck,” spokesman Jim McGrath tweeted on Wednesday night. “His condition is stable — he is fine — but he’ll be in a neck brace.”
Bush was being treated at Portland’s Maine Medical Center, where a children’s hospital is named for his wife. The medical center confirmed his condition was stable but said it was premature to speculate about when he’ll be released. It said he would be there at least overnight.
Bush, who has a form of Parkinson’s disease and uses a motorized scooter or a wheelchair for mobility, has suffered other recent health setbacks.
He was hospitalized in Houston in December for about a week for shortness of breath. He spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care at the same Houston hospital for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues.
Bush, a Republican, served two terms as Ronald Reagan’s vice president before being elected president in 1988. After one term, highlighted by the success of the 1991 Gulf War in Kuwait, he lost to Democrat Bill Clinton amid voters’ concerns about the economy.
Bush, the father of Republican former President George W. Bush, was a naval aviator in World War II and was shot down over the Pacific. He also was a former U.S. ambassador to China and a CIA director.
He has skydived on at least three of his birthdays since leaving the White House. He celebrated his 90th birthday by making a tandem parachute jump near his Kennebunkport home. He celebrated a low-key 91st birthday with his family there.
During the winter, Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, live in Houston.
Another Bush son, Republican former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is running for president in 2016.
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