Franklin Graham has critical surgery to fix a hardened heart

Evangelical leader Franklin Graham has had heart surgery to repair his hardened heart.

The anti-LGBTQ head of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and the charity Samaritan’s Purse underwent surgery in Minnesota after developing constrictive pericarditis, which causes inflammation and hardening of the sac surrounding the heart. The resulting constriction can be deadly.

Related: Seattle Police humiliate Franklin Graham for his years of anti-LGBTQ actions

Over the past few days Graham has been on Twitter proudly congratulating Republican Glenn Youngkin for his win in the Virginia gubernatorial race. Youngkin won after a campaign based on racist and transphobic fearmongering. Yesterday, the man of God took time out of his schedule to castigate President Joe Biden for high gas prices.

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Last month Graham praised North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) — who said LGBTQ people are “filth” — for “having the guts to stand up and tell the truth,” called for foreign nations to deny people with official gender-neutral markers on their passport, and the BGEA was named in a report as a group materially supporting proposed laws criminalizing homosexuality around the world.

While Dr. Suess’ Grinch was able to solve his cardiac problems – having a heart “two sizes too small” – with compassion and love, Graham required major surgery to remove the pericardium entirely.

“Mr. Graham said that he is looking forward to multiple opportunities across the globe in 2022 to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invite people to put their faith in Him,” the association reported to followers. “He is also eager to resume riding his motorcycle by springtime.”

“The team here at Mayo Clinic does such an incredible job—I couldn’t speak more highly of them. My doctors said I should expect a full recovery and will be able to return to my normal ministry schedule,” he posted on Facebook in an update to followers.

But what that schedule will look like remains to be seen. He was banned from speaking at multiple arenas in the United Kingdom after public outcry over his anti-LGBTQ vitriol and hate speech. And when Samaritan’s Purse set up a field hospital in New York City at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the group would only accept volunteers who agreed to confirm that LGBTQ people were sinners who didn’t deserve special rights.

While Graham insisted that his staff wouldn’t discriminate against LGBTQ people, a gay man quickly reported that he had been turned away from the facility.

Graham has also railed against mask mandates as part of COVID precautions, but he did not castigate his surgeons and medical staff for wearing required masks while operating on his heart. The staff at his field hospitals also wear them.