Betty Ford in Rancho Mirage Hospital for Coronary Bypass
Former First Lady Betty Ford has entered Eisenhower Medical Center and will undergo coronary artery bypass surgery Friday, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Ford, 69, entered the medical center Tuesday on the recommendation of her physician, but the decision to operate was not prompted by any emergency, such as a heart attack, said Ann Cullen at former President Gerald Ford’s office.
“It is a preventive measure,” Cullen said. “She is up and around and walking. There has been nothing that’s happened other than the advice of physicians that this be done.”
Cullen said Ford’s physician, Dr. Richard Mahler, expects that she “will be home with her family to celebrate Thanksgiving.”
The former President was out of town but was expected to arrive later in the day to be with his wife.
Betty Ford underwent surgery on a carotid artery at the medical center July 24 and was released July 29. Carotid arteries are among the principal arteries in the body, carrying blood to the two sides of the head and neck.
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