Rudy Giuliani out of ICU, continuing to recover in hospital: 'He's winning this fight'
'The power of prayer is working,' a spokesperson for the former mayor said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is out of the ICU but will continue to spend time in the hospital before being discharged, according to a spokesperson for the former politician.
"The mayor and his family appreciate the outpouring of love and prayers sent his way," Ted Goodman, a political strategist who launched a livestream program with Giuliani, said in an update posted to social media on Wednesday.
"Mayor Giuliani—the man who took down the Mafia, saved New York City, and ran toward the towers on September 11th—is the same fighter he's always been, and he's winning this fight," he continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Goodman added that the "power of prayer is working" and the former mayor "feels it," encouraging people to keep them coming.
RUDY GIULIANI'S PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER GIVES UPDATE ON HIS CONDITION
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is out of the ICU but will continue to spend time in the hospital. (REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo)
Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized in critical but stable condition on Sunday because of severe breathing issues.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Monday, Giuliani's doctor, Maria Ryan, told Fox News correspondent Danamarie McNicholl that he began feeling ill after returning from a trip to Paris, with his breathing deteriorating to the point that he required hospitalization and was placed on a ventilator.
Ryan said his condition turned critical, prompting a priest to be called to his bedside to perform last rites.
But by Tuesday, his condition had improved enough for doctors to remove him from the ventilator. He is now breathing independently and able to speak.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}RUDY GIULIANI HOSPITALIZED IN CRITICAL BUT STABLE CONDITION: 'HE’S FIGHTING'
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was hospitalized in critical but stable condition on Sunday. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Ryan said she expects Giuliani to make a full recovery.
"He’s a fighter — the way he was yesterday in such a critical condition, he did have a priest come anoint him," Ryan said. "And all the prayers from around — it’s like a miracle. This guy’s got 9 lives, today he’s doing much better."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Giuliani has faced a number of health challenges in recent years but has remained active in public life.
Earlier this week, Goodman noted Giuliani's health history following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when he was exposed to debris while responding at Ground Zero, later leading to a diagnosis of restrictive airway disease.
He had also been seriously injured in a car crash in New Hampshire in August of last year, leaving him with a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple lacerations and other injuries.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has faced a number of health challenges in recent years but has remained active in public life. (Jose Luis Magana, File/The Associated Press)
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President Donald Trump said after learning of Giuliani's hospitalization on Sunday that he was the "Best Mayor" in New York City’s history.
"Our fabulous Rudy Giuliani, a True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR, has been hospitalized, and is in critical condition," Trump said, in part.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Greg Wehner contributed to this report.