Helen Hayes Ill From Altitude

The first lady of American theater, actress Helen Hayes, was in good spirits at a hospital today recovering from the effects of altitude sickness, hospital officials said.

“She’s very stable and in good condition,” said Kim Zimmer, director of public relations at St. Mary’s Hospital. Hayes, 87, was flown by helicopter Sunday from Crested Butte, an old mining town and ski resort in the Colorado Rockies at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet. She had gone there to visit her actor son, James MacArthur. “She had traveled from sea level and she just didn’t tolerate the high altitude,” Zimmer said.