Barbara Bush, 92, to focus on 'comfort care'

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Jim McGrath, spokesman for former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush released the following statement on Sunday:

Following a recent series of hospitalizations, and after consulting her family and doctors, Mrs. Bush, now age 92, has decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care. It will not surprise those who know her that Barbara Bush has been a rock in the face of her failing health, worrying not for herself -- thanks to her abiding faith -- but for others. She is surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving.

The former Barbara Pierce married George Herbert Walker Bush in 1945, shortly after the end of World War II when she was twenty years old.

They traveled to Texas where the oil business dominated, first in Midland-Odessa, later to the Houston area where George found his love for politics. He was elected to Congress in 1966.

Over the following decades, Mr. and Mrs. Bush would travel the world representing the U.S. before turning their sights to The White House, first as the Vice President and Second Lady during the Ronald Reagan administration, then the 1988 Presidential election.

"One out of six Americans, literally, cannot read above the fifth grade level -- that's terrible!," said Barbara when she made literacy her focal point while serving as First Lady of the United States. She would later champion tackle homelessness, AIDS awareness, promote elder care and encourage volunteerism at schools.

Barbara has also been a fierce protector and advocate for her family, most recently, helping her son, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, with his presidential campaign in 2016. Donald Trump would end up winning the Republican nomination that year and was later elected President.

All along, Barbara Bush has been regarded as an invaluable asset with a grandmotherly persona that could belie a forthright outspokenness.

In retirement, former President George H.W. and Barbara Bush made Houston their home, often to the adulation of their fans whether it was sneaking a smooch on the Houston Texans kiss cam at NRG Stadium to tossing out the first pitch for the Houston Astros after President Bush broke his neck in 2015.