Former President Ford Has Stroke

P H I L A D E L P H I A, Aug. 2, 2000 -- Former President Gerald R. Ford, who suffered at least one mild stroke early this morning, is being treated with anticoagulants in a Philadelphia hospital and is expected to recover fully, his doctors said today.

The 87-year-old Ford is in serious condition in the neurological intensive care unit at Hahnemann University Hospital, but had improved markedly since the morning, said Dr. Robert Schwartzman, head of the hospital’s neurology department.

Though his speech was slightly slurred and his balance unsteady, the former president felt well enough to lament jokingly that he might not have suffered the stroke if he had worn a fiberglass helmet instead of a leather one in his football-playing days at the University of Michigan.

“That should give you in indication of his state of mind,” said Calvin McDowell, a member of the Ford family staff. “He wants to go home.”

Ford will have to stay in the hospital for at least five or six days to allow the anticoagulants to take effect, his physicians told reporters at a late afternoon news conference.

Ford came to Philadelphia to take part in the Republican National Convention, where he was one of three living former Republican presidents to be honored in video presentations Tuesday night. Ford, who was joined by his wife, former first lady Betty Ford, appeared deeply touched by the video that documented his own presidency.

Had Visited Hospital Earlier

Early this morning, Ford, accompanied by his wife and Secret Service agents, went to the hospital with symptoms of a sinus infection, including pain on one side of his face. He was released an hour later, waved to reporters and told them he felt fine.

Hours later, shortly after 9 a.m., Ford returned to the hospital with new symptoms.

Ford, according to Schwartzman, “probably had a stroke maybe two days ago and had another little one” sometime after midnight Tuesday.

The former president is thought to have had a “brain stem” stroke and may have suffered damage to the balance center in his brain, the doctor said. Ford suffered from weakness in his left arm, and was experiencing some dizziness and lack of mobility, Schwartzman said.

But Ford’s prognosis is good, Schwartzman added. “I think he’ll do very well.”

Lee Simmons, Ford’s part-time special assistant, said his boss looked ill when he saw him on television Tuesday.

“I could tell right away something was wrong. His speech was not as sharp and clear as it normally is … I told my wife it looked like he had a stroke or something,” he said.

Doctors treating Ford were pressed by reporters today as to why the former president was not admitted to the hospital during his first visit there. The physicians defended the emergency room doctor’s decision to release Ford, saying that during the first visit he did not appear to show signs of a stroke.

A mild stroke “looks like an inner-ear infection sometimes. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference,” Schwartzman said.

A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks a vessel or artery, or when a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. The stroke kills brain cells and the abilities controlled by that area of the brain, like speech, movement and memory are diminished or lost. Some people recover completely from minor strokes.

Aside from anticoagulant medication, Ford will continue to undergo diagnostic tests at the hospital, the doctor said. Some stroke victims undergo physical therapy in the recovery process.

Betty Ford: The Family Anchor

Hospital officials have given Betty Ford a room next to the president, where she can rest between visits with her husband. Doctors said she is holding up, but was upset by the news that her husband had had a stroke.

“She is the anchor that is very much in control of their family,” McDowell said of Mrs. Ford. “It is absolutely amazing and she is doing remarkably well.”

Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush spoke to Mrs. Ford by telephone and conveyed to her “his prayers and love” to Ford and his family. “America loves Gerald and Betty Ford for their integrity, wisdomand compassion,” he said in a statement.

President Clinton also spoke with Mrs. Ford by telephone andexpressed his concern, White House spokesman Elliot Diringer said.

Former President George Bush said in a written statement that he and his wife Barbara “are hoping and praying for the quickest possible recovery of Gerald R. Ford.” He said a convention tribute to Ford on Tuesday night “reminded [us] of his decency and of all he did at a crucial time in our nation’s history.”

Honored at GOP ConventionFord, the 38th president, was among the former Republican presidents honored Tuesday night at the GOP convention.

New York Gov. George Pataki introduced thelatter half of the program, which paid tribute in video segments to Ford as well as former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Ford appeared visibly moved by the presentation of the highlights of his presidency.

Ford and Bush had VIP seats in the hall, and in a poignant appearance,former first lady Nancy Reagan left her husband’s side to represent himamong the former presidents. President Reagan, 89, has Alzheimer’s disease. In an interview broadcast Tuesday, Ford told talk show host Larry King, “I couldn’t be healthier.”

“Betty and I are having amagnificent life: 52 years of married life, four great children, 15grandchildren. Everything is breaking just right and I am delightedto be here at this convention after going to so many for so manyyears.”

President in Troubled Times

On Aug. 9, 1974, Ford succeeded Richard M. Nixon, the only president ever to resign, in the fallout from the Watergate scandal. Ford set out to restore confidence in the White House, and tried to put an end to the scandal by pardoning Nixon.

His chief domestic concern was the economy. A brief Arab oil embargo led to a quadrupling of oil prices, which produced both inflation and a recession. Ford had limited success in handling this “stagflation.”

Though he had spent 25 years in Congress as a well-respected legislator from Michigan, Ford’s relations with the heavily Democratic Congress during his White House tenure were marked largely by legislative gridlock. He cast more than 50 vetoes of legislation by the end of 1976; more than 40 were sustained.

Ford was defeated by a very narrow margin in the 1976 election by Democrat Jimmy Carter, a former governor of Georgia. Ford got 48 percent of the popular vote that year.

ABCNEWS’ Bill Greenwood and Bob Schmidt in Philadelphia, Julia Campbell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.