Sunday, July 02, 2006

Ebert in Serious Condition After Surgery



CHICAGO - Film critic Roger Ebert, who has battled cancer in recent years, was in serious but stable condition Sunday following an emergency operation to repair complications from a previous cancer surgery.

Ebert had surgery June 16 to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. He told Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder at the time that the condition was not life-threatening and he expected to make a full recovery.

About 8 p.m. Saturday, a blood vessel burst near the site of the operation, the Sun-Times reported Sunday on its Web site. A Northwestern Memorial Hospital spokeswoman declined to comment Sunday afternoon.

"I am pleased to report that the doctors say Roger is stable and responding well to the recent surgery," said his wife, Chaz Ebert. "Roger and I are so grateful for your prayers and support but please give the big guy the space and time needed to recover until he is ready to use those thumbs again."

The 64-year-old has undergone cancer surgery three times before — once in 2002 to remove a malignant tumor on his thyroid gland and twice on his salivary gland the next year.

Ebert has been a film critic at the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967. He won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1975, the same year he teamed up with Gene Siskel of the rival Chicago Tribune to launch their movie-review show. Siskel died in 1999.

AP

2 comments:

MC said...

I almost wrote about this (considering I posted that picture of him with Siskel), but I didn't want to make it about my jinx or anything.

Anonymous said...

I actually thought about the jinx aspect of posting this. Let's hope it doesn't jinx him, just sends him lots of good wishes.