Eisenhower has the distinction of suffering seven heart attacks, the first one occurring in September 1955. November 1957, he was struck by a mild cerebral stroke, considered by doctors as his second heart attack. His third and fourth heart attacks occurred three days apart in November 1965. Monday, April 29, 1968, Eisenhower suffered a mild heart attack (his fifth) while playing golf. He was taken my helicopter from his home in Palm Springs, California to March Air Base in Riverside County and admitted to a hospital. Some two weeks later, on Tuesday, May 14, he was flown from March Air Base to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland and escorted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. From this point on, Eisenhower spent his remaining days in a large suite on the East Wing’s Seventh Ward. Just a month into his stay, just a week before he planned on returning to his Gettysburg home, he suffered a heart attack (his sixth) while walking around his suite, caused by a blood clot in a heart vessel. It was his second heart attack in two months. July came and went with no cardiac episodes. August was passing along comfortably but that all changed on Friday 16 when he suffered his seventh heart attack. Eight episodes of ventricular fibrillation followed, lasting through Sunday night. Eisenhower underwent surgery and his pacemaker was removed, doctors doing so as it had failed to prevent the spasms caused by the ventricular fibrillation. Wednesday, August 28, doctors removed him from the critical list as his condition was improving. September was a repeat of July with no medical episodes and some signs of improvement. He was able to get out of bed on his own, walk around his suite, and enjoyed sitting in his chair. The positive outlook continued into October, seeing Eisenhower celebrate his birthday with his wife, Mamie, watching from his suite window as an Army band serenaded him. Eisenhower’s positive outlook continued through November (Eisenhower enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with President-Elect Nixon), into December, and passed into the New Year, watching on television the wedding of his son, David, and Julie Nixon, and her father’s inauguration. But the good times and positive outlook came to an end in February when Eisenhower developed “acute intestinal trouble.” Sunday, February 23, doctors operated on him and removed an intestinal blockage; four days later, he developed pneumonia in his right lung. Mid-March, his health woes grew worse, suffering from temporary congestive heart failure; his heart was unable to pump enough blood to give his body the required oxygen. As March neared its end, his temporary status was upgraded to permanent, and he was no longer responding to treatment. Friday afternoon, March 28, 1969,Mamie, his son John and wife Barbara, and his grandson David were at this bedside, alongside doctors and a nurse. He spoke to his family, “I have always loved my wife. I have always loved my children. I have always loved my grandchildren. I have always loved my country.” Then, knowing the end was near, he ordered the window shades drawn. His asked John and one of his doctors to “Pull me up.” Needing to be pulled up a bit more, he told them “Two big men…higher.” Looking at his son, John, he spoke in a soft voice, “I want to go...God take me.” The summons came at 12:25 PM. CoD: heart failure.
@ChiefFarewell It’s because of this that research was begun on the causes of heart attacks and we learned the connection between cardiac problems and diet.
@JACruickshank I do what I can to stay away from empty calories and fatty foods but those Krispy Kreme doughnuts are hard to resist.