Rudy Giuliani breathing on his own after being hospitalized for pneumonia

Rudy Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, is breathing on his own after being hospitalized with pneumonia and placed on a ventilator, his spokesperson said on Monday. Giuliani , 81, remains in critical but stable condition at a Florida hospital and is being monitored as a precautionary measure, Ted Goodman, a spokesperson, said. Goodman said Giuliani’s condition was exacerbated by restrictive airway disease attributed to his exposure to dust and toxins from the September 11 terror attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Giuliani’s hospitalization, near Palm Beach, Florida, came after he was heard coughing on Friday on his nightly online talkshow and hoarsely told viewers his voice was “a little under the weather”. “This condition adds complications to any respiratory illness, and the virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen and stabilize his condition,” Goodman said in a statement. He described Giuliani as “the ultimate fighter” and said, “he is winning this battle”. Giuliani’s family and primary medical provider were by the former mayor’s side, Goodman added. He said they thanked well-wishers for an “outpouring of love and support”. “The mayor believes in the power of prayer, and we are feeling that strength today,” Goodman said. Giuliani’s eight-year tenure as the mayor of the nation’s largest city was punctuated by the 9/11 attack just months before he left office. …