DETROIT – Debbie Dingell updated the status of her husband, Congressman John Dingell, who was admitted to a Washington, D.C. hospital Friday morning for observation, according to a spokesman from his office.
"Thank you for everyone's thoughts, prayers and concerns," Debbie said in a Facebook status. "They mean much. John and I have always been straight on what is happening and will admit it has been a rough 24 hours. Everyone knows how stubborn he is and by sheer grit and determination he wasn't going to miss his last days in the House of Representatives especially on issues of such vital importance to everyone, but he hasn't been well. Turns out, he has a hairline hip fracture from that fall he took last week which he walked around on for a couple days before it was discovered. Thankfully, no surgery is needed but it's going to take time to heal. We are in the process of figuring things out but it will be a few weeks before they will allow him to travel."
The rest of the statement is posted below:
"He is severely disappointed he will not be able to be at the dedication of train station. I am hoping to be able to be there. We are grateful to all of our friends for everything you do for us. I want John at my side when they swear me in on January 6th and that is what we are aiming for. Again, thank you for your support .....and your prayers are always deeply wanted and appreciated."
Dingell, 88, was taken to George Washington University Hospital as a precaution and is resting comfortably, said spokesman Christopher Schuler in a statement. He suffered a fall earlier this week.
In September he was hospitalized in Detroit after experiencing abdominal pain.
The Dearborn Democrat is stepping down at year's end after representing suburban Detroit in Congress for 59 years. Dingell entered the U.S. House at age 29 when he won a special election after the death of his father, U.S. Rep. John Dingell Sr. The elder Dingell took the seat in 1933.
President Barack Obama awarded John Dingell Jr. the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November.
The job stays in the family Jan. 1, when 60-year-old Debbie Dingell is sworn in to replace her husband.