Second bout of pneumonia in five weeks
Tuesday, March 29, 2005 Posted: 3:19 PM EST (2019 GMT)
Jerry Falwell attends a basketball game on Saturday.
LYNCHBURG, Virginia (AP) -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday, battling his second case of viral pneumonia in just five weeks, hospital and church officials said.
Falwell, 71, was admitted to Lynchburg General Hospital shortly before midnight Monday suffering from "respiratory arrest," the hospital said in a statement.
He was put on a ventilator and stabilized but remained in critical condition, the hospital said.
"He's resting comfortably and in stable condition," said Ron Godwin, Falwell's executive assistant. "It's a recurrence of the viral pneumonia."
Falwell is the founder of the Moral Majority and chancellor of Liberty University, which he also founded.
It was Falwell's second admission this year to Lynchburg General Hospital. He was treated for pneumonia for 13 days in late February and early March. For a time, he was on a ventilator.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Falwell said he was feeling much better, but still recovering from his hospital stay.
Falwell had been in the pulpit Easter Sunday at Thomas Road Baptist Church and appeared in good health, said the Rev. Dave Randlett, a senior associate pastor.
"He always looks `up' so you wouldn't know if he wasn't" feeling well, Randlett said. "He was very optimistic."
An avid sports fan, Falwell made the trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Saturday for the third round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Liberty University's team ended its postseason run in a 90-48 loss to top-seeded Louisiana State.
He also had been in the crowd on March 22 when the Liberty women beat DePaul 88-79 in the second round in College Park, Maryland.
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