Nechama Rivlin undergoes surgical procedure after lung transplant

Nechama Rivlin, the wife of President Reuven Rivlin, underwent a surgical procedure on Tuesday evening, just over a week after receiving a lung in a transplant operation, a spokesperson for the president said Wednesday.

Rivlin was said to be in stable condition and receiving help breathing, as is normal after such procedures, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Rivlin, 73, suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, a condition in which scar tissue accumulates in the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe. She has usually been seen in public with a portable oxygen tank, including when accompanying her husband at official ceremonies.

Last week she was awake and alert a day after the lung transplant. Doctors at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where Rivlin is being treated, noted at the time that the early days after a transplant are “critical,” and that she faces a long road to recovery.