Yankee Clipper ailing again
Report: DiMaggio on ventilator, in bad condition at home
Posted: Sunday January 24, 1999 03:56 PM
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DiMaggio was released from the hospital last week after he spent 99 days in intensive care AP |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Joe DiMaggio is in grave condition at his home,
permanently bedridden and using a ventilator, the Daily News reported
Sunday.
The 84-year-old baseball great was released from the hospital Jan. 18
because there was nothing else the hospital could do for him, the newspaper
said, quoting an unidentified source.
DiMaggio spent 99 days in intensive care at Memorial Regional Hospital
in Hollywood, Fla., after contracting lung cancer. He is too weak to
undergo chemotherapy.
Although DiMaggio reportedly walked out on his own when he left the
hospital, the Daily News reported he was taken home on a stretcher. The
newspaper also said he is receiving round-the-clock nursing care at home.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said at the time of DiMaggio's
release he was looking forward to having DiMaggio throw out the first ball
on opening day April 9 at Yankee Stadium.
Lawyer Morris Engelberg, a neighbor and longtime friend, visited
DiMaggio on Sunday but did not return calls. Steinbrenner referred
questions about DiMaggio to Engelberg.
DiMaggio entered the hospital Oct. 12 and had surgery two days later to
remove a cancerous lung tumor. He then was stricken with pneumonia in his
left lung and had fluid drained from his lung several times. He slipped
into a coma last month and was given last rites.
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. He celebrated his
84th birthday in the hospital 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.
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