The 84-year-old wife of Vice Premier Shimon Peres was rushed to Sheba Hospital late Thursday night after suffering heart failure at the couple’s Tel Aviv home.
Medical teams rushed to the side of Sonia Peres, wife of the elder statesman, after she complained of having difficulty breathing. Mrs. Peres has recently suffered from a bout of severe influenza.
Minutes later, paramedics had administered first aid and whisked her off in an ambulance, accompanied by her husband. Shimon Peres did not leave his wife’s side the entire night.
Mrs. Peres was sedated and placed on a respirator upon her arrived at the hospital, and was admitted to the cardiology wing in the intensive care unit.
Professor Rafi Walden, deputy-director of the hospital and son-in-law of the prominent couple, told reporters Mrs. Peres is improving and in stable condition.
Sonia Gelman immigrated to what became Israel from the Ukraine, where she was born. In May 1942, at the age of 18, she enlisted in the British Army to fight the Nazis, who were advancing towards Tel Aviv at the time. Three years later, she married Shimon Peres.
The Vice Premier’s wife has managed a feat that few other spouses of prominent politicians achieve – almost total anonymity in the shadow of her husband’s limelight.
Although Mr. Peres has spent the majority of his adult life operating on the Israeli political scene, Sonia Peres has rarely appeared with him at official functions. She has also never participated in his election campaigns, nor has she ever granted interviews to the media.
Medical teams rushed to the side of Sonia Peres, wife of the elder statesman, after she complained of having difficulty breathing. Mrs. Peres has recently suffered from a bout of severe influenza.
Minutes later, paramedics had administered first aid and whisked her off in an ambulance, accompanied by her husband. Shimon Peres did not leave his wife’s side the entire night.
Mrs. Peres was sedated and placed on a respirator upon her arrived at the hospital, and was admitted to the cardiology wing in the intensive care unit.
Professor Rafi Walden, deputy-director of the hospital and son-in-law of the prominent couple, told reporters Mrs. Peres is improving and in stable condition.
Sonia Gelman immigrated to what became Israel from the Ukraine, where she was born. In May 1942, at the age of 18, she enlisted in the British Army to fight the Nazis, who were advancing towards Tel Aviv at the time. Three years later, she married Shimon Peres.
The Vice Premier’s wife has managed a feat that few other spouses of prominent politicians achieve – almost total anonymity in the shadow of her husband’s limelight.
Although Mr. Peres has spent the majority of his adult life operating on the Israeli political scene, Sonia Peres has rarely appeared with him at official functions. She has also never participated in his election campaigns, nor has she ever granted interviews to the media.