BATON ROUGE, La. (WGNO) — Former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards has placed himself in hospice care at his Gonzales home, according to our media partners BRPROUD.
A spokesperson for Edwards told the Baton Rouge station that he had complained of “significant pain” in his right lung before taking a trip to St. Elizabeth Hospital on Sunday.
“His blood oxygen and blood pressure were both low,” said his wife Trina Edwards, “and we made the decision to go the hospital out of an abundance of caution. His strength has been failing in recent weeks but Edwin has always rallied back in the past and we’re praying for that again.”
In a written statement to BRPROUD, Edwards said, “Since I have been in and out of hospitals in recent years with pneumonia and other respiratory problems, causing a lot of people a lot of trouble, I have decided to retain the services of qualified hospice doctors and nurses at my home.”
The statement went on to say, “While people assume that hospice means I’m dying, I assure everyone it’s simply a matter of good and convenient care that is less trouble for everybody. I’ve made no bones that I have considered myself on borrowed time for 20 years and we each know that all this fun has to end at some point. But it won’t be anytime soon for me. In fact, I am planning my 95th birthday party for next summer and hope you’ll come.”