Barbara Bush Hospitalized for Vague ‘Respiratory Related Issue’

Late on New Year’s Eve, it was reported that Barbara Bush, the 88-year-old former First Lady of the United States, had been admitted to a hospital on Monday for a scarily vague “respiratory related issue.”

Bush, who recovered from open heart surgery back in 2009, was admitted to Methodist Hospital at Texas Medical Center in Houston (where the Bushes live), and though details were scant about the exact nature of her ailment, reports described her as being in “great spirits.” The statement about her hospitalization, via Politico, read in full:

Former First Lady Barbara Bush was admitted to Methodist Hospital in Houston’s Texas Medical Center yesterday for treatment on a respiratory related issue. She is in great spirits, has already received visits from her husband and family, and is receiving fantastic care. Updates will be issued when warranted.

Barbara Bush’s trip to the hospital comes almost exactly a year after her husband, former President George H.W. Bush, was released from Methodist Hospital after a seven week stay for a persistent cough and lingering bacterial infection.