http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/04/20/hawking.health/index.html
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Scientist and author Stephen Hawking is
"very ill" and has been hospitalized, according to Cambridge
University, where he is a professor.
Cambridge University said the 67-year-old is "comfortable" and will
stay overnight at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.
Hawking, one of the world's most famous physicists, is also a
cosmologist, astronomer, and mathematician.
Wheelchair-bound Hawking is perhaps most famous for "A Brief History
of Time" which explored the origins of the universe in layman's
terms, is considered a modern classic.
Hawking has Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or
ALS), which is usually fatal after three years. Hawking has survived
for more than 40 years since his diagnosis.
On his Web site, Hawking has written about living with ALS. "I try to
lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition,
or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that
many," he wrote.
He added: "I have been lucky, that my condition has progressed more
slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope."
The disease has left him paralyzed -- he is able to move only a few
fingers on one hand. Hawking is completely dependent on others or
technology for virtually everything -- bathing, dressing, eating,
even speech. He uses a speech synthesizer with an American accent.
Hawking has been married and divorced twice. In 2004, police
completed an investigation into accusations by Hawking's daughter
that his second wife was abusing him. Authorities said they found no proof.
His Web site says he has three children and one grandchild.
Hawking was born on what turned out to be an auspicious date: January
8, 1942 -- the 300th anniversary of the death of astronomer and
physicist Galileo Galilei.
A Cambridge University spokesman told CNN: "Professor Hawking is very
ill and has been taken by ambulance to Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge."
Professor Peter Haynes, head of the university's department of
Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, said: "Professor Hawking
is a remarkable colleague, we all hope he will be amongst us again soon."
At Cambridge, he holds the position of Lucasian Professor Mathematics
-- the prestigious post held from 1669 to 1702 by Sir Isaac Newton.
Hawking has guest-starred, as himself, on Star Trek: The Next
Generation and The Simpsons. He also said if he had the choice of
meeting Newton or Marilyn Monroe, his choice would be Marilyn.
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Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:18 CST