Post by Taxigirl on Dec 19, 2003 10:15:59 GMT
Horror writer Stephen King has been released from hospital after recovering from surgery to battle pneumonia.
He spent 25 days at the Eastern Maine Medical Center having treatment for complications from a 1999 road crash.
The 56-year-old author had surgery in Maine to remove fluid and scar tissue from one of his lungs.
King will need to return for an x-ray to make sure the pneumonia is completely gone, said his lawyer, Warren Silver.
"He's home and on the mend. He's happy to be home for the holidays," his spokeswoman said.
King was diagnosed with pneumonia before a November trip to New York to receive the National Book Foundation's 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
Accident
His condition worsened when he returned home to Bangor, Maine, and doctors diagnosed him with pleural effusion, an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the membrane surrounding the lung.
King, whose works include Carrie and The Shining, suffered a broken leg, hip and punctured lung in the road accident four years ago.
The driver of the van that hit King told police his dog had distracted him.
Bryan Smith pleaded guilty to driving to endanger and his licence was suspended for six months.
He later was found dead at his home after an accidental overdose of a prescription drug.