Bristol Mayor Art Ward is breathing on his own almost two weeks after being rushed to the hospital after choking at a party.
He remains in the Intensive Care Unit but has been upgraded to fair condition.
Mayor Ward choked on a piece of meat while he was at a party to watch the UConn football team play South Florida in the team's last regular game season and admitted to the hospital on Dec. 4.
“The Mayor is awake, alert, breathing on his own, and interacting with family and staff,” the hospital said in a statement issued on Friday. He has also been able to speak to family and medical staff.
Ward’s core body temperature was cooled to preserve body function and organs and he spent several days under heavy sedation to be comfortable, hospital officials said.
The mayor’s family has requested that visitors continue to be restricted to immediate family members.
