ASHEVILLE, NC (ANS) -- Evangelist Billy Graham was admitted overnight to Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., near his home in Montreat, for evaluation and treatment of a pulmonary infection thought to be bronchitis. Upon admission, he was alert and in good spirits.

According to a news release, the pulmonologist treating Mr. Graham, David Pucci, DO, said that he is resting comfortably, that appropriate antibiotics are being administered and that his condition is stable.

Mr. Graham was previously hospitalized for successful treatment of pneumonia in November, 2011. He resumed his ongoing program of physical therapy and normal activity shortly after his release, according to his staff.

Staff further report that the 93-year-old evangelist has remained in good overall health the past year, though he continues to remain at home due to age-related conditions. However, Mr. Graham remains actively involved in ministry and writing projects, including nearing completion of a manuscript for a new book summarizing his Gospel message over the past seven decades of public ministry.

While no date has been set for discharge, Mr. Graham is looking forward to returning home to his family.

About Mission Hospital

Mission Hospital, the flagship hospital of Mission Health, is a not-for-profit hospital that serves as the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care in western North Carolina and the adjoining region. Mission Hospital is the busiest surgical hospital in North Carolina and houses the region's only dedicated Level II trauma center. Mission Hospital has seven Centers of Excellence: cardiology, pediatrics, orthopedics, oncology, women's services, neurology and trauma.

For more information, contact:
A. Larry Ross, Director Media/Public Relations for Billy Graham
972.267.1111 (office)
469.774.6362 (cell)
alr@alarryross.com 

Dan Wooding, 71, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 49 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and he hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States and around the world. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries. Dan recently received two top media awards -- the “Passion for the Persecuted” award from Open Doors US, and as one of the top “Newsmakers of 2011” from Plain Truth magazine. He is the author of some 45 books, the latest of which is “Caped Crusader: Rick Wakeman in the 1970s.” To order a copy, go to: http://www.amazon.com/CAPED-CRUSADER-Rick-Wakeman-1970s/dp/1908728302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335474883&sr=1-1 .