Former first lady Barbara Bush, 92, ‘in failing health’

WASHINGTON, United States: Former US first lady Barbara Bush is in “failing health” after a series of hospitalizations and “has decided not to seek additional medical treatment,” her husband’s office said in a statement Sunday. It said that Mrs Bush, after consulting with relatives and doctors, had decided to “focus on comfort care” at the family home in Houston. “She is surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving,” said the brief statement from the office of former president George H.W. Bush. The statement provided no details on her condition, but Mrs Bush had been hospitalized for bronchitis treatment in January 2017. She had heart surgery in 2009, and was operated on for an ulcer the year before. She had been treated in the past for the thyroid ailment known as Graves’ disease. “The President’s and First Lady’s prayers are with all of the Bush Family during this time,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.