This guy's got 9 lives, today he's doing much better.
At 81, Rudy Giuliani — former mayor of New York City and a figure whose life has long intersected with moments of national crisis — came perilously close to death this week, only to pull back from the edge. After falling gravely ill following a trip to Paris, he was placed on a ventilator and received last rites, yet by Tuesday he was breathing on his own again. His story is a reminder that the body carries the full weight of a life lived — from the toxic dust of Ground Zero to the violence of a highway collision — and that survival is sometimes as improbable as it is stubborn.
- Giuliani's breathing collapsed rapidly after returning from Paris, forcing emergency hospitalization and ventilator support within days.
- A priest was summoned to administer last rites, signaling that those closest to him were bracing for the worst.
- His doctor credits a combination of medical intervention, prayer, and what she calls an unbreakable fighting spirit for the sudden and dramatic turnaround.
- By Tuesday he was off the ventilator, speaking independently, and declared critical but stable — with a full recovery now considered possible.
- Years of lung damage from 9/11 debris and injuries from a 2025 car crash had already weakened him, making this respiratory crisis all the more dangerous.
Rudy Giuliani, the 81-year-old former mayor of New York City, has been removed from a ventilator and is breathing independently after a harrowing medical emergency that brought him to the brink of death.
He fell ill shortly after returning from Paris, his breathing deteriorating so quickly that he required hospitalization and mechanical ventilation within days. The situation grew grave enough that a priest was called to administer last rites — a signal that his family and medical team were preparing for the possibility he might not survive.
The reversal, when it came, was striking. His physician, Dr. Maria Ryan, told Fox News that Giuliani is now breathing on his own and able to speak, though he remains in critical but stable condition. She expressed confidence in a full recovery, describing him as a fighter with, in her words, "9 lives."
His vulnerability to this kind of crisis is rooted in a long medical history. Giuliani developed restrictive airway disease after breathing in toxic debris while responding to the September 11 attacks at Ground Zero — a condition that has shadowed him ever since. A serious car accident in New Hampshire in August 2025, which left him with a fractured vertebra and multiple injuries, added further strain to a body already carrying considerable weight.
Spokesperson Ted Goodman confirmed the improvement in a video statement, calling Giuliani "the ultimate fighter." The immediate danger has passed, but his medical team will continue to monitor him closely as recovery unfolds.
Rudy Giuliani, the 81-year-old former mayor of New York City, has been removed from a ventilator and is now breathing on his own, according to his primary care physician. The dramatic reversal came after what his medical team described as a critical health emergency that unfolded over the course of a few days.
Giuliani fell ill shortly after returning from a trip to Paris. His breathing began to deteriorate rapidly, a decline severe enough to require hospitalization. Within days, his condition had worsened to the point that doctors placed him on a ventilator to assist his breathing. The situation grew dire enough that a priest was called to his bedside to administer last rites—a moment that suggested his medical team and family were preparing for the possibility of his death.
Dr. Maria Ryan, his primary care provider, described the turnaround as remarkable. By Tuesday, Giuliani's condition had improved sufficiently for doctors to remove the ventilator. He is now breathing independently and able to speak, though he remains in critical but stable condition. Ryan told Fox News that she expects him to make a full recovery, characterizing him as "a fighter" and suggesting that the prayers offered on his behalf, combined with his own resilience, had pulled him through. "This guy's got 9 lives," she said.
Giuliani's health history adds context to the severity of this episode. He has long dealt with restrictive airway disease, a condition that developed after he was exposed to debris while responding to the September 11 terrorist attacks at Ground Zero in 2001. That underlying lung condition likely made him more vulnerable to the respiratory crisis he experienced this week. Additionally, he was seriously injured in a car crash in New Hampshire in August 2025, when the vehicle he was in was struck from behind on Interstate 93. That accident left him with a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple lacerations, and other injuries. Despite that setback, he returned to public life and continued to appear in various capacities.
A spokesperson for Giuliani, Ted Goodman, released a video statement confirming that the former mayor is "breathing on his own" and remains in critical but stable condition. Goodman emphasized Giuliani's fighting spirit, calling him "the ultimate fighter." The medical team will continue to monitor his condition closely in the coming days as he moves through the recovery phase. For now, the immediate crisis has passed, though the road ahead remains uncertain.
Notable Quotes
He's a fighter—the way he was yesterday in such a critical condition, he did have a priest come anoint him. And all the prayers from around—it's like a miracle. This guy's got 9 lives, today he's doing much better.— Dr. Maria Ryan, Giuliani's primary care physician
Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the ultimate fighter.— Ted Goodman, Giuliani's spokesperson
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made this particular illness so dangerous for him, given that he's faced health challenges before?
The restrictive airway disease from 9/11 exposure was already there, weakening his lungs. When this respiratory illness hit after Paris, his lungs didn't have the reserve capacity to fight it. That's why the deterioration was so fast.
The priest being called—that's the moment everyone understands how close it was, isn't it?
Exactly. That's not a precaution. That's a signal that the medical team thought they might lose him. The fact that he turned around after that is what makes the story remarkable.
His doctor used the phrase "9 lives." Do you think that's just optimism, or is there something about his constitution that actually kept him alive?
It's probably both. He's clearly stubborn and has a strong will to survive. But his doctor also wouldn't predict a full recovery unless she genuinely believed it was coming. She's not being sentimental—she's being clinical.
He's 81 and has had a fractured spine, now this. How much longer can the body take these kinds of hits?
That's the question nobody can answer. He's defied expectations twice now. But each crisis takes something out of you. The next one might not turn around the same way.