Evangelist Billy Graham In Fair Condition

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) _ Evangelist Billy Graham was recovering at a hospital Monday, two days after being admitted with an intestinal bleed, officials said. <br/><br/>Graham, 88, was in fair condition Monday

Monday, August 20th 2007, 8:22 am

By: News On 6

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) _ Evangelist Billy Graham was recovering at a hospital Monday, two days after being admitted with an intestinal bleed, officials said.

Graham, 88, was in fair condition Monday morning, said Merrell Gregory, a spokeswoman for Mission Health & Hospitals in Asheville.

``He had an excellent night,'' Gregory said.

No date has been set for Graham's release, but family members said they hoped his hospital stay would be brief. On Sunday, he was able to watch a televised worship service form First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, S.C., and visit with family and friends, hospital officials said.

The hospital has said the initial bleeding may have been caused by diverticuli, or small pouches that can form in the lower intestine. A diverticular bleed often begins suddenly and may stop on its own, the hospital said. Graham spokesman Larry Ross said the minister experienced similar intestinal bleed during in 1995 crusade in Toronto.

Graham, who suffers from a variety of ailments including Parkinson's disease and age-related macular degeneration, has been largely confined to his western North Carolina home in recent years.

His wife, Ruth Bell Graham, died in June following a following a lengthy illness.