First Lady Melania Trump underwent successful kidney surgery earlier today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where she is also recovering.
According to USA Today , FLOTUS experienced no complications during the embolization procedure. Trump, a 48-year-old mother of one, is expected to remain at Walter Reed, which is outside of Washington, D.C., for the rest of the week as she recovers from the surgery, which she had in order to treat a benign kidney condition.
Typically a benign condition means non-cancerous. The statement about her procedure did not describe exactly what it was for, but it was clear that the first lady’s doctors do not suspect cancer. Often, an embolization procedure is performed to block off blood flow. The Daily Mail reported that patients typically have a procedure like this one under a local anesthesia and doctors perform it using x-ray as a guide.
Communications director Stephanie Grisham said that Trump is “doing well ” after the surgery, according to an NPR report. In a statement about the procedure, Grisham said, “The First Lady looks forward to a full recovery so she can continue her work on behalf of children everywhere.”
One week ago the first lady announced her platform called “Be Best.” Through the campaign, she hopes to increase the well-being of children in the United States so that they can grow into productive and happy adults.
Ahead of her admission to the hospital for the surgery on Monday, Melania Trump took to Twitter to wish mothers a Happy Mother’s Day with a pink rose-filled tweet.
Happy Mother’s Day! pic.twitter.com/DqAlvtmt2v
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) May 13, 2018
President Donald Trump, who raised eyebrows when he failed to mention his wife during his video honoring mothers in the U.S. yesterday, remained at the White House during the surgery. He did, however, speak with the first lady before her surgery, and afterward, he spoke with her doctor. Later today he is expected to visit her.
The last time the president and the first lady appeared together in public was last Thursday. The first couple were at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to greet three Americans who were previously held by North Korea.
Trump’s surgery is the most significant surgery for a U.S. first lady since 1987 when Nancy Reagan had a mastectomy while her husband Ronald Reagan was in office.