Governor Kay Ivey required medical attention on eve of election
Governor Kay Ivey was campaigning in the final days leading up to Tuesday’s general election for congressional candidate Caroleene Dobson when paramedics had to be called to treat her for what her office is saying was dehydration. The event was being held at Sweet Creek Farm Market in Pike Road, on Sunday when paramedics were called. In a statement provided to AL.Com, Ivey’s office said, “While campaigning for Caroleene Dobson at an event this evening, the governor got dehydrated. She received fluids and was evaluated on site out of precaution. She immediately felt better and is at home doing well this evening.” ABC’s Channel 8, WAKA, has released a video of the incident. In it, you can see Ivey become shaky and unsteady before receiving medical treatment. Ivey, who is 80 years old, announced in September 2019 that a routine evaluation found lung cancer. She released a public statement three weeks after her diagnosis and underwent three rounds of radiation treatment at UAB before being cleared by doctors in January 2020. At the time, Dr. Alex Whitley of Central Alabama Radiation Oncology, the governor’s physician, released a statement saying, “Governor Ivey is now three months removed from Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Treatment (SBRT) for her Stage I lung cancer. She had a follow up surveillance imaging that demonstrates an excellent response to treatment with no concerning features. She will continue on routine surveillance imaging, but I consider Governor Ivey to be cured.” In 2022, rumors circulated about Ivey’s health after a prolonged absence from public events; when interviewed by WVTM 13, she responded by saying, “Between the rumor mills and some of you guys in the media, it seems like some of you just want to will these rumors into reality and existence.” She said, “Every day, I give thanks to God for giving me a clean bill of health.” When asked whether she had undergone any procedures requiring an overnight hospital stay in the last month, she repeated the same answer she had just given nearly verbatim before stressing that she was in good health. Ivey’s office reported that she returned to the state capitol on Monday.
