Bill Clinton marks one-month remembrance of Haiti quake
(CNN) - On the same day he was released from a hospital after undergoing a heart procedure, former president Bill Clinton released a long written statement marking the passing of one month since the earthquake in Haiti.
"I will continue to work with the Haitian government and people, international donors and multilateral organizations, the Haitian Diaspora, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and the international business community to fulfill unmet needs," Clinton said in the 400-plus-word statement, released Friday.
The remarks came less than 24 hours after some Clinton associates speculated that his hectic schedule in the past month had contributed to his hospitalization. As the U.N. special envoy for Haiti, Clinton has been intensely involved in relief efforts. He also has visited the island nation twice since the earthquake, a fact he noted on Friday.
"Haiti still has a chance to escape the chains of the past and the ruins of the earthquake," he said. "But we all will have to do what we can today."
Clinton said he had helped collect 200,000 donations for Haiti through his partnership with former President George W. Bush - the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund - and through the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund, calling those efforts "especially impressive." He said he has helped allocate $7 million in relief.
On Thursday, Clinton underwent a procedure at New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Columbia campus to implant two stents in a clogged coronary artery.
The former president has "no evidence of heart attack or damage to his heart," and his prognosis is excellent after undergoing the procedure, according to Dr. Allan Schwartz, the hospital's chief of cardiology.
Schwartz said the procedure was "part of the natural history" of Clinton's treatment following his 2004 quadruple bypass surgery and "not a result of either his lifestyle or diet, both of which have been excellent."
The 7.0-magnitude quake of January 12 leveled most of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, killing more than 212,000 people and injuring 300,000, according to Haitian government estimates. It left more than a million homeless.
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Thank you Mr. Clinton for all that you do and for your caring attitude.
Do take care of yourself. A friend from Minnesota
God Bless you Mr. Clinton.
thank you Mr Clinton for your support in haiti, God bless you.
God bless Bill Clinton.
Bless you Mr. President. Please take care of yourself. The greatest President ever!
Take care, Mr. President. America needs you.
So happy, and thankful, you are up and about. Geez, you scared lots of people.....you have lots of good work ahead of you, sort of a redemption.....
The proof is in, prayer works. Former President Bill Clinton's good deeds are more than enough proof, his work is not finished on this Earth and should be a lesson to us all.
President Clinton will be forever remembered by all of Us Haitians back home, in the US and everywhere else in the world..... We Love you President Clinton.
Take care Bill. We need you!
Bill Clinton is a remarkable man and was an excellent president. He is thought highly of all over the world and is a great ambassador for America. Glad he is doing well.
Wish you were president now, we sure need someone with management capabilities.