Sharon suffers stroke

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1134309603256&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

PM in stable condition, to stay at Hadassah overnight
By JPOST.COM STAFF

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was rushed to Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem after suffering a mild stroke on Sunday evening.

Deputy director of the hospital, Prof. Yuval Weiss related in a press conference that the prime minister remained conscious continuously since his arrival at 7:50 p.m. That announcement contradicted earlier rumors, according to which, Sharon lost consciousness on the way to the hospital and had to be brought in on a stretcher. Other sources revealed that the prime minister walked into the trauma room on his own.

Weiss added that Sharon's condition improved during his hospitalization. The hospital official noted that the prime minister did not require any invasive procedures. He was sent to the internal medicine department and although he was to remain in Hadassah overnight, he was expected to be released in the morning.

The prime minister was taken directly to the VIP section of the hospital's trauma room, probably because of its higher security precautions. Meanwhile, Hadassah was closed off to civilian entry by special police forces. The senior medical staff of the hospital was called in to treat him. Neurologists on staff were already looking after the prime minister.

Hospital deputy director Professor Shmuel Shapira said that Sharon's condition was stable, and that it was too early to know exactly what happened to him. Shapira would not discuss Sharon's condition further, saying the prime minister had a right to medical privacy. Unofficial sources revealed that the stroke was likely caused by a blot clot.

According to Channel 1, the prime minister felt unwell while on the way to Tel Aviv on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. Sharon told his son Gilad over the phone that he did not feel well, and Gilad ordered his security detail to take him directly to the hospital. MK Omri Sharon, the prime minister's other son, arrived at the hospital shortly after his father.

Cabinet secretary Yisrael Maimon was reportedly at the prime minister's bedside, fielding the many phone calls from politicians and dignitaries.

Foreign media outlets, including those from the western and Arab world were reporting extensively on the incident.

Sources close to the prime minister told the media that the prime minister's life was not in danger, but doctors treating Sharon were limited in their reports by Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) regulations.

Sharon, who will celebrate his 78th birthday in February, is already the oldest incumbent prime minister in Israeli history. Approximately three years ago, the prime minister underwent kidney stone surgery.

Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz was the first politician to respond publicly to the incident, saying he wished the prime minister well.

Finance Minister and Vice Premier Ehud Olmert, who would replace Sharon as prime minister in the event that Sharon was unable to perform his duties, was in the country making his way to the hospital.

Army Radio reported for the first time that a paramedic is permanently attached to the prime minister's retinue, and that the paramedic accompanied him to the hospital.