Lung cancer confirmed, no heart attack
Improving DiMaggio marks 84th birthday in hospital
Posted: Thursday November 26, 1998 03:22 PM
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DiMaggio could be released from intensive care on Wednesday AP |
NEW YORK -- Joe DiMaggio got good news for his 84th birthday Wednesday
-- he's improving steadily and could be removed from intensive care by the
end of the day. "The prognosis for his recovery is good," said
Dr. Earl Barron, the lead doctor on a team of six physicians who have been
treating the Hall of Fame outfielder in Florida. Barron, in a
telephone interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, for the
first time confirmed DiMaggio had a cancerous tumor removed from his right
lung. He said the surgery was done two days after DiMaggio
entered the hospital October 12, and that the New York Yankees great
had suffered severe post operative complications, including a serious lung
infection. "For a while, it was touch and go, but he has been
showing steady improvement and he possibly could be out of intensive care
today," Barron said. Because of his age, DiMaggio's progress is
"guarded," Barron said, but he added that the former centerfielder's
condition is very good, compared to what it had been. DiMaggio
began his birthday celebration at 6 a.m. with a group of well-wishers
crowded into his room at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.
Among them were his brother Dom, also a former major league outfielder;
Dom's wife, Emily; DiMaggio's granddaughter Paula and her husband, Jim; his
lawyer and longtime friend, Morris Engelberg; Barron; and a couple of
nurses. Barron said DiMaggio still was on a respirator, but the
setting was 50 percent of what it had been at the height of the crisis, and
he could be weaned from it by the end of the week. The main
problem was a buildup of fluid in DiMaggio's lungs as the result of the
infection, and at one point, an opening was made in his trachea to help his
breathing. Barron said DiMaggio had never had a heart attack,
contrary to television reports earlier this week. "It was a
tremendous drop in blood pressure, and it scared the life out of me," said
Engelberg, who has been acting as DiMaggio's spokesman.
Engelberg said he became so concerned by the DiMaggio's critical turn on
Nov. 16 that a Roman Catholic priest was summoned to give last rites.
"But I came in the next morning and there he was, shaving himself,"
said Engelberg. "He's amazing." Engelberg said DiMaggio had
instructed him not to divulge any medical information about his condition,
but because of recent erroneous TV reports, DiMaggio agreed to allow Barron
to speak with the AP. "Joe was angry when he saw on television that
he had had a heart attack," Engelberg said. "I asked Dr. Barron, `Did Joe
have a heart attack?' and Barron told Joe, `No, you didn't have a heart
attack.'"
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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