Betty Shabazz Undergoes Surgery

The widow of Malcolm X, badly burned in a fire allegedly set by her troubled grandson, had seven hours of skin graft surgery, said hospital officials at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. “She withstood the procedure considerably well but she still remains in critical but stable condition,” a hospital spokeswoman said. Betty Shabazz, 63, suffered third-degree burns over 80% of her body in a fire Sunday. A third-degree burn is one that extends deep into the skin’s underlying tissue. A team of six doctors removed about 20% percent of her dead skin in the operation. Shabazz is expected to have more skin grafts today, a spokeswoman said.