JUST IN: Lauren Boebert Has Emergency Surgery After Rare Diagnosis
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) underwent emergency surgery on Tuesday after doctors diagnosed the Colorado Republican with a rare vascular condition and moved to remove a blood clot from a leg.
The New York Post reports that Rep. Boebert is doing well and surgeons at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies expect her to make a full recovery.
“After undergoing a CT Scan, doctors found an acute blood clot and diagnosed her with May-Thurner Syndrome, which is a rare condition that disrupts blood flow,” the congresswoman’s campaign wrote in a statement.
Moving quickly to undergo the procedure, Boebert added, will allow her “to continue fighting for Colorado.”
“I want to thank Dr. Rebecca Bade and the entire team at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies for their great care and providing helpful insight on my recent diagnosis,” Boebert added.
Boebert, 37, was admitted to the hospital after complaining of swelling in her upper left leg. Doctors concurred she suffers from May-Thurner syndrome, a rare vascular condition in which an artery compresses the left iliac vein in the pelvis, blocking off blood flow from the leg back to the heart, according to UPMC.
While the disease is not always life-threatening, without mitigation steps May-Thurner syndrome can exacerbate blood clots, swelling, and venous ulcers that pose elevated risks of a stroke or heart attack.
Women between the ages of 27 and 45 are more likely to develop the disease, with Boebert’s campaign identifying lifestyle factors such as “dehydration, travel, and extended periods of sitting” that come with her demanding job.
“We successfully performed surgery on the Congresswoman this morning and expect her to make a full recovery,” said Bade, a hospitalist at UCHealth.
Boebert’s treatment comes as she fights for political survival in new territory. Facing the specter of a well-funded Democratic opponent in her old district, she relocated to Colorado’s 4th District and now leads a crowded GOP field that is expected to produce the next congressperson given the district’s rural, conservative leanings.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) contends with the threat of removal and a single-vote majority to keep his gavel. A number of resignations by allies has imperiled his ability to negotiate with the White House and threatened to plunge the GOP back into leaderless turmoil. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who filed the motion, criticized the Louisiana speaker for failing to stand for conservative principles in the latest negotiations with the Biden administration over border security and continued funding for Ukraine and Israel.