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The Latest: Granddaughter: Barbara Bush resting comfortably

Posted at 12:36 PM, Apr 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-16 14:36:14-04

The Latest on former first lady Barbara Bush (all times local):

8:50 a.m.

Jenna Bush Hager says her grandmother, former first lady Barbara Bush, is resting comfortably with family members at her side.

Hager’s comments to NBC’s "Today" show Monday come a day after the family announced the 92-year-old Bush has decided not to seek additional medical treatment and is instead focusing on "comfort care" at home in Houston.

Hager, who is an anchor on the show, told "Today" that her grandmother is a "fighter" and that "the world is better because she’s in it." She says Bush is in "great spirits."

Bush, the wife of former President George H.W. Bush, has been treated for decades for Graves’ disease, a thyroid condition. Several media reports say she also suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and has used an oxygen tank in recent years.

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11:05 p.m.

A family spokesman says former first lady Barbara Bush "has been a rock in the face of her failing health."

Jim McGrath did not elaborate as to the nature of the 92-year-old Bush’s health problems. She is at home in Houston.

McGrath says Bush "has decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care." She has been treated for decades for Graves’ disease, a thyroid condition.

She had 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.

McGrath says Bush is "surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving."

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