Rick Warren, the pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life was hospitalized Thursday and underwent immediate surgery for an intestinal condition.
He is still in the hospital but is recovering.
In an email sent to members of his church family Saturday night and obtained by CBN News, Warren gave an update on his condition:
“Dear Saddleback Family,
By now you may have heard that I needed an emergency surgery early Thursday morning. At about 7 pm on Wednesday evening while at home by myself, I suddenly doubled over in an attack of excruciating abdominal pain. Kay (his wife) was on a plane just taking off from LAX airport for a 10-hour flight to Northern Ireland where she was scheduled to speak at a conference.
Fortunately, my son, Josh, called me at the same moment of my pain, and he rushed over to drive me to an Urgent Care facility, where the doctor administered shots of antibiotics and a painkiller and advised me to get a CT scan the next morning. But as Josh and I were leaving, my body started shaking uncontrollably, so the Urgent Care doctor insisted that we immediately go to a hospital ER.
At the hospital, the staff got my CT scan which revealed that my intestine had perforated (torn) and was releasing infection into the abdominal area. So I quickly had emergency surgery and I am now recovering.
Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and love. I love you all back! God has been so good to me. FYI. I’ve been told that I will need a second surgery after Christmas. Bless you all!
Pastor Rick
Kay Warren was to be a special guest at the “Illuminate” conference in Coleraine, on the north coast of Northern Ireland. She was notified of Rick’s condition and upon arrival was able to take a return flight home.
Earlier Saturday, Kay posted an update on Rick’s condition on the conference’s Facebook page.
She wrote: “Hello dear friends – just an update on Rick. He is much better today! The surgery went even better than expected and he will be released in a few days. Things were quite serious for a day but he is strong and tough and he is on the road to recovery! Thank you for your prayers for us! I am keenly disappointed to not be with you at Illuminate 2018; trusting that our sovereign God holds all things in His hands. I pray that what transpires in the lives of the women who attend will mark each one permanently – that unforgettable moments with Jesus and each other will take place. Until we meet in person, love to you all….”