Obama to travel to see ill grandmother

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Barack Obama will leave the campaign trail Thursday to travel to Hawaii to see his 85-year-old grandmother, who has fallen ill, spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday.

“In the last few weeks her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious,” Gibbs told reporters aboard Obama’s campaign plane.


The change of plans means Obama will scrap scheduled rallies Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa, and Madison, Wisc. He will instead head to Indianapolis, Ind., for a morning event, leave for Hawaii and return to the campaign trail Saturday, making stops in the West.

His grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, “has always been one of the most important people in his life,” Gibbs said. “Along with his mother and his grandfather, she raised him in Hawaii from the time he was born to the moment he left for college.”

Gibbs would not disclose her medical condition, other than to say it was “very serious.” She was released from the hospital last week, Gibbs said.

“The decision that Sen. Obama is making to go to Hawaii underscores the seriousness of the situation,” Gibbs said.

Michelle Obama will hold events in place of her husband Friday in Akron, Ohio, and Columbus, Ohio, the campaign said in a statement.

Note: An earlier version of this article misstated Dunham's age.