Coughlin Will Stay In Florida For Holidays

The Rev. Bernard Coughlin, chancellor at Gonzaga University, will spend Christmas in Gainesville, Fla., recovering from open-heart surgery.

By New Year’s Day, doctors may allow him to travel to his brother’s home in Topeka, Kan., where he will rest until fully recovered.

Coughlin, who recently stepped down as president of the Jesuit university, was jogging on a cruise ship in the Virgin Islands last week when he suffered a heart attack.

He was transferred to Shands Hospital at the University of Florida Medical School, where surgeons performed a quadrupal bypass Wednesday.

Coughlin, 74, will probably be discharged in a couple of days, but must remain in the Gainesville area for follow-up care for at least week after his discharge.

“All the cards and notes from Spokane have been wonderful,” Coughlin said from his hospital bed Sunday afternoon. “And I’ve been very satisfied with the quality of care here.”

, DataTimes