Jerry Falwell Critically Ill, But Stable

Rev. Jerry Falwell, 71, was admitted to Lynchburg General Hospital late Monday night suffering from respiratory arrest. Dr. Carl Moore, a cardiologist, learned from family members that Falwell had been resuscitated by EMTs at the hospital emergency room after being unconscious for five to seven minutes. After being resuscitated, he was placed on a ventilator and stabilized in order to undergo evaluation of his illness. Dr. Moore said testing showed that although Falwell has fluid in his lungs and he suffers from congestive heart failure, his heart is strong and he did not suffer a heart attack, and there is no evidence that any neurological damage occurred during the time that his breathing stopped. By Tuesday afternoon Falwell was alert and responding to questions. Wednesday doctors upgraded his condition from critical to stable, and he was removed from the ventilator.

Falwell, the founder of the Moral Majority in 1979, is the public representative of the religious right, engaging in political lobbying to raise millions for conservative politicians. He was hospitalized for 13 days less than a month ago for viral pneumonia, and his diagnosis this time is the same. In a recent AP interview, Falwell said that although he was feeling better, he was still recuperating. However, he had traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Saturday to cheer on Liberty University's basketball team in the third round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament, and he was back in the pulpit on Easter Sunday at Thomas Road Baptist Church.

The Rev. Dave Randlett, a senior associate pastor at Thomas Road, said that Falwell appeared to be in good health on Sunday. Ron Godwin, Falwell's executive assistant, claims that Falwell "has not been unreasonable" in his public appearances since his previous discharge from the hospital earlier this month, but this past weekend was a little busier than usual. According to Godwin, "He's stable and he was able to rest and he's communicating with his family, as best as he can with all those tubes." Doctors say that Falwell is very stable, and his vitals are steady and strong, but he is still critically ill and will remain in the hospital until his condition improves. Lynchburg General Hospital is part of Centra Health, a regional, nonprofit health care system.