'Looking forward to Opening Day'
DiMaggio released after three months in Florida hospital
Posted: Tuesday January 19, 1999 10:55 AM
| |
DiMaggio continues his miraculous recovery AP |
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) -- Once comatose and near death from a persistent
lung infection, Joe DiMaggio has gone home to work on his recovery -- and
his pitching.
The 84-year-old baseball great was released Monday from Memorial Regional
Hospital, where he had spent more than three months. He hopes to visit
Yankee Stadium in New York to throw out the season's opening pitch April 9.
"Mr. DiMaggio wishes to express his thanks to the doctors, ICU nurses and
staff at Memorial Regional Hospital for helping him recover from infectious
pneumonia, as well as to the 250 million people out there who are praying
for him," his lawyer, Morris Engelberg, said in a statement Monday.
"Mr. DiMaggio is looking forward to opening day in Yankee Stadium."
New York Yankees
owner George Steinbrenner visited DiMaggio in early January.
"Joe will certainly toss out the first ball," Steinbrenner said Monday.
"It's a wonderful moment for me personally and for the fans."
Hospital officials and DiMaggio's doctor's office refused to discuss his
condition at the time of his discharge. Engelberg's statement did not
elaborate.
DiMaggio entered the intensive care unit on Oct. 12 and spent 99 days
there. He reportedly will have 24-hour nursing at his home in Hollywood.
DiMaggio had a cancerous tumor removed from his right lung two days after
he was admitted. He had recurring pneumonia in his left lung despite
treatment with three antibiotics, and had fluid drained from his lungs
several times.
He slipped into a coma last month, prompting cardiologist Dr. Earl Barron
to give him a slim chance of survival. When DiMaggio came out of the coma,
his first order of business was to admonish his doctor for providing public
updates on his condition. His privacy was more cherished than ever.
Not surprisingly, details of his hospital release were terse. Some
hospital staff weren't even aware he had been discharged. The Daily
News in New York reported that his granddaughters, Paula and Cathy,
were at his bedside at his home.
DiMaggio's last public appearance was Sept. 27, when he was honored at
Yankee Stadium and received replicas of nine championship rings that were
stolen from his hotel room three decades ago.
The Yankees had wanted him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the
World Series, but by then he was in the hospital just north of Miami.
He celebrated his 84th birthday in the hospital on Nov. 25, surrounded by
family.
DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 is still considered one of the
greatest feats in all sports.
He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1955, four years after his
retirement, and in 1969 was chosen as the greatest living baseball player.
DiMaggio played in 11 All-Star games and 10 World Series in 13 seasons
with the Yankees. He batted .325 with 361 home runs, was a two-time batting
champion and a three-time most valuable player.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
