He broke a vertebra in his neck
Former President George H.W. Bush fell Wednesday while vacationing at his summer house in Kennebunkport, ME, breaking a vertebra in his neck.
He was taken to a hospital in Portland and is now in stable condition, CNN reports.
His longtime spokesman and speechwriter, Jim McGrath, stressed that Bush was never disoriented at any point during the incident and that the injury, while serious, is not severe enough to merit invasive treatment.
McGrath tweeted a statement from Bush’s office Thursday saying that the President will remain in the hospital to be fitted for a neck brace and do physical therapy. “[We] do not believe this will be a prolonged recovery period,” the statement says, though it does not give a timeline for discharge.
This is not the first time Bush, who turned 91 last month and suffers from a form of Parkinson’s disease, has been hospitalized. In 2012, he was treated after contracting bronchitis, remaining in the hospital for several months. In 2014 he also had a short stay after experiencing shortness of breath.
Bush and his wife have recently made appearances at campaign events in Maine for his son, Jeb, who is running for president in the 2016 election.
[CNN]