Ex-President Ford Suffers Stroke

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/14/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Former President Gerald R. Ford, 87, has been admitted to the neurological intensive care unit of a hospital in Philadelphia, where he had been attending the Republican National Convention. Doctors said he suffered what was at least one small stroke over the last three days, and after a series of tests on Wednesday, he is listed in "serious and improving" condition. His prognosis is good for a full recovery, said Dr. Robert J. Schwartzman, the chief neurologist of Hahnemann University Hospital. It was the 38th President's second visit to the hospital in less than 10 hours. His first occurred around midnight Tuesday, after he had been saluted at the convention. At the time he complained of some sinus pain and was reportedly treated with medicines and released. Hospital officials defended their treatment, according to The New York Times, because all Ford complained about was the pain. The diagnosis of a stroke came about later, reports The Times, when Ford's wife of 52 years, Betty, told doctors during the second hospital visit that earlier in the week her husband had admitted to feeling ill.