Melania Trump is recovering from kidney surgery for a benign condition, with President Donald Trump Tweeting that she is ‘in good spirits’. The First Lady had an embolisation procedure, which helps shrink tumours and block aneurysms by preventing blood flow to targeted areas of the body.
‘This morning, First Lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition,’ a statement from the First Lady’s office said. ‘The procedure was successful and there were no complications. Mrs. Trump is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will likely remain there for the duration of the week.
‘The First Lady looks forward to a full recovery so she can continue her work on behalf of children everywhere.’
In a Tweet, the First Lady’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham added: ‘She is in good spirits and doing well.’
Mrs Trump’s hospitalisation was surprising considering that it only came a week after she launched her Be Best initiative, which is focused on helping children’s mental, physical and social health. The White House made no early announcement about the upcoming procedure, and instead waiting to release a statement after it had already taken place.
Anita McBride, who was a former chief of staff to Laura Bush, told the Telegraph that this was normal protocol, explaining: ‘I can completely understand their need and desire to keep it as tight as possible.’