She’s back at work despite three broken ribs and a range of other health setbacks.
Panic spread among liberals last week when word got out that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had been hospitalized after falling in her office and breaking three ribs.
Ginsburg, who was appointed in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton, is one of four liberals in the now 5-4 majority conservative Supreme Court. She’s also the oldest serving justice. If she has to step down or dies suddenly, President Trump would be able to make a third appointment for an even stronger conservative majority. So her health is carefully scrutinized by people on both sides of the aisle.
But a few broken ribs didn’t stop the unflappable Notorious RBG, as she’s been known since 2015, when Irin Carmon’s biography with that title was published. By November 8, one day after her fall, she was working from her hospital room, according to her family. By Friday, she was back at it from home.
I talked to RBG’s trainer last night. “She’s tough as nails. You think three ribs are going to stop Justice?” @rbgworkout https://t.co/CjNlgqjMjj
— Irin Carmon (@irin) November 9, 2018
Falls and broken bones can be serious health setbacks for the elderly. And this is by no means RBG’s first brush with hospitals. She’s lived through many personal and familial medical dramas — all of which she’s bounced back from.
Given the high stakes many liberals attach to Ginsburg’s health, it’s worth looking at what the justice has endured through her life. Her track record is a testament to her special tenacity, but also to how incredibly resilient humans can be.
The incredible resilience of RBG
The Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment, which means people can get very old — and sick — while on the bench. But compared to other justices, Ginsburg has been quite public with her health issues, of which she’s seemed to face a disproportionate share. Here’s a quick recap:
- In 1999, Ginsburg was diagnosed with colon cancer. The disease was detected by accident at an early stage after Ginsburg had gone to the doctor for an abdominal infection. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation followed — and despite all that, Ginsburg didn’t miss a day on the bench.
- Ten years later, in 2009, she had surgery for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest kinds of cancer. At the time, surgery for it was rare — it’s usually detected too late — but her tumor was again found by accident during a check-up. And again, she made it clear she wouldn’t miss a day in court.
- In both 2012 and 2013, she fell in her home, suffering rib injuries. (Falls and broken bones in the elderly are heavily associated with a higher risk of health complications and mortality.)
- In 2014, she had to be hospitalized for a surgery to have a heart stent implanted. The device was put in to improve blood flow after a bout of chest pain, and she was again working from the hospital right after the operation and quickly released.
Ginsburg works out twice a week with a personal trainer
These are just the major health incidents that have gone public — and are good fodder for the recent documentary and new feature film about her life. We don’t know what Ginsburg has experienced privately.
It’s also worth noting that her mom endured cancer when the justice was in high school, and died on the eve of her high school graduation. And after Ginsburg had her daughter, in 1955, her husband Martin Ginsburg was diagnosed with testicular cancer. They went on to have a son in 1965, and stayed married until Martin’s death in 2010 — days after the couple celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary.
Despite it all, at 85, Ginsburg appears to be in good health. She still works out two days per week with a personal trainer, Bryant Johnson, and her routine is not an easy one. Immortalized in Johnson’s book The RBG Workout, the routine reportedly involves Ginsburg breezing through pushups, planks, and squats. Johnson thinks the judge is happy to share the details of her workouts to empower women and cancer survivors. So she may be getting older, she may be growing more fragile, but she remains strong. And her resilience is an inspiration.
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Breaking News: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s incredible ability to bounce back - News Paper
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