Graham spokesperson Larry Ross said doctors do not believe his condition is life threatening. And two of his children — Franklin Graham and Anne Graham Lotz — had no plans Wednesday to return early from mission trips overseas.
The elder Graham was taken to Mission Hospital, near his Montreat, N.C., home, Wednesday morning after experiencing what Ross called “a pulmonary challenge” overnight.
He “had episodes of sweating and coughing,” Ross said. “He had a slight fever and experienced difficulty breathing. But he was never in any distress or in an acute situation.”
A battery of diagnostic tests suggested pneumonia and determined that Graham’s heart was normal. Since then, Graham has been receiving antibiotics and is under observation.
“He is resting comfortably and is fully alert,” Dr. Lucian Rice, his primary physician, said in a statement released by the hospital.
Ross predicted the hospital stay would last a day or two, depending on how he responds to the antibiotics.
“He’s remained in good spirits and has kept his sense of humor,” Ross said. “He even signed his own admission papers. He ate a big lunch, and has been joking with the medical staff.”
Franklin Graham, his eldest son and CEO of the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, was visiting North Korea on Wednesday.
Anne Graham Lotz was in Israel, Ross said.
Besides his advanced age, Graham has suffered from Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms, hearing loss and macular degeneration, which has robbed much of his eyesight.
McClatchy Newspapers
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