Lura Lynn Ryan, the wife of disgraced former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, is gravely ill and may have as few as three months to live, the governor's attorney's said Wednesday.
The motion, filed in federal court, adds medical information about the former first lady to Ryan's request for bail.
Lura Lynn Ryan has been diagnosed with a terminal lung disease, and attorneys had said she might have one to two years to live.
After she was hospitalized this week, doctors at Kankakee's Riverside Medical Center said they found a new mass in her lungs. They say she may have only three to six months to live.
Ryan is serving time in a federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind. on racketeering, conspiracy, and other charges.
His attorneys contended that he should be released from prison while the court determines whether his conviction was valid. The United States Supreme Court in June ruled in favor of overturning the "Honest Services" law, which was used to convict Ryan in 2006.
Ryan has served about three years of his 6 1/2 year sentence. Defense attorneys had been asking that he be released so that he could attend to his ailing wife
With an oxygen canister aiding her breathing, she spoke to a throng of reporters following a court appearance last month.
"I'm just looking forward to getting George home to spend a few years with me that we have left," she said at the time.
