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Sharon suffers life-threatening stroke
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-05 08:34
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive, life-threatening stroke Wednesday and underwent lengthy surgery to drain blood from his brain after falling ill at his ranch. Powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert.
Doctors placed Sharon on a respirator and were trying to save his life only hours before the hard-charging, overweight, 77-year-old Israeli leader had been scheduled to undergo a procedure to seal a hole in his heart that contributed to a mild stroke on Dec. 18.
Then-Israeli Major General in the Reserves Ariel Sharon (2nd R) confers with comrades during the 1973 Middle East War in the Sinai Peninsula, October 10, 1973 in this handout photo released by the Government Press Office. [Reuters] |
Sharon's health crisis came at a time of upheaval among Palestinian factions in Gaza and in the midst of both Israeli and Palestinian election campaigns. Sharon's absence would halt momentum toward further peacemaking with the Palestinians and leave a major vacuum at the head of his new Kadima party, which was expected to head a government after the March 28 vote.
In a written statement, US President Bush praised Sharon as "a man of courage and peace," saying he and first lady Laura Bush "share the concerns of the Israeli people ... and we are praying for his recovery."
Israeli politicians across the spectrum expressed hopes for Sharon's health.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, right, and Vice-Premier Ehud Olmert attend a session in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in this Wednesday Feb. 23, 2005 file photo.[AP] |
Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger called on Israelis to read Psalms and pray for Sharon's health. "We are very, very worried," he said, and prayed for "mercy from Heaven."
Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, said Sharon suffered "a significant stroke," adding that he was "under anesthetic and receiving breathing assistance." A few minutes later, Mor-Yosef emerged to say that initial tests showed Sharon had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding in his brain.
Mor-Yosef said Sharon had "massive bleeding and was being transferred to an operating theater."
Dr. Shmuel Shapira of Hadassah Hospital told Channel 10 TV that Sharon was taken to an operating room to drain the blood after suffering what he termed a "massive stroke." Israeli TV said the operation would likely take several hours.
Sharon was put in an ambulance at his ranch in the Negev Desert after complaining about feeling unwell. Shapira said the stroke developed while he was being taken to the hospital, a drive of about an hour.
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