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Former US First Lady Barbara Bush in Failing Health


FILE - Former president George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, are seen at a college basketball game in Houston, Texas, March 29, 2015.
FILE - Former president George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, are seen at a college basketball game in Houston, Texas, March 29, 2015.

Barbara Bush, the wife of one U.S. president and the mother of a second, is in failing health and has decided to seek "comfort care" rather than further medical treatment.

The office of her husband, former president George H.W. Bush, said Sunday the 92-year-old former first lady made the decision following a recent series of hospitalizations and after consulting with her family and doctors.

The statement did not specify what she has been treated for recently, but CNN reported she suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure. In years past she has been hospitalized for Graves' disease, a thyroid condition, and bronchitis, a respiratory ailment.

"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 said. "She is surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving."

Barbara Bush, often known for her outspoken remarks and self-deprecating wit, was the U.S. first lady from 1989 to 1993 when her husband was the country's 41st president. He is 93 years old and also has been in failing health in recent years.

Barbara Bush is the mother of former president George W. Bush, the country's 43rd president.

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