Republican South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem announced Monday that she will be on a limited schedule of activities for the next few months due to back surgery.
Noem, 50, has been considered among the possible contenders for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. She is facing Democrat Jamie Smith in November, according to the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader.
“Several weeks ago, about two months ago, I sustained an injury to my back,” she said on Twitter. The video was shot outdoors on an unknown date. Although released Monday, Noem referred to the surgery as having taken place the week the video was shot.
“I’ve been working with excellent doctors here in South Dakota over those weeks to try to alleviate the situation,” she said. “ Unfortunately, this week, I ended up having surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.”
An important update from Governor Noem: pic.twitter.com/6gmrPgcqTP
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) September 12, 2022
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Noem said there was good news and bad news to share.
“The person who performed that surgery was a neurosurgeon who specializes in spine injuries, and it was a complete success,” she said. “I’m very grateful for all of their expertise and help and just arrived back home here in Pierre.”
“But I did want to let you all know that I’m going to be very limited in what I will be able to do for the next several months,” she said.
Noem said mobility issues mean she will have to curtail most traveling.
Should Kristi Noem run for president in 2024?
Yes: 36% (282 Votes)
No: 64% (492 Votes)
“I won’t be able to stand for more than 10-15 minutes at a time, and I won’t be able to get out and about South Dakota like I love to do so much,” she said. “And you know that about me; that I’m very hands-on and will miss being able to do my normal activities,” she said.
“I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate all your support and your prayers. That I’m still working hard here in Pierre every day, and that I’m still campaigning. I’ll do a lot of video updates and a lot of chats with you this was as well, but my ability to get around the state is going to be pretty challenged for the next several months,” she said.
In a South Dakota State News release, Noem added, “I have to abide by certain limitations on my activity in order to allow my back to heal properly. In the short term, this will include amount of standing I can do and the amount of travel that I can partake in around our great state.”
“I am grateful for the doctors’ and nurses’ steady hands — and God’s grace — as I am now back home in Pierre and on the mend,” she said in the statement.
Dr. Mohamad Bydon, who is described in the release as her surgeon, said Noem “developed an acute condition impacting her lumbar spine. She underwent successful surgery and is well on her way to a full recovery. The Governor is in excellent health.”
True to her word that she would be active, Noem on Monday joined other governors in firing off a letter to President Joe Biden criticizing his proposed plan to forgive part of college student loans, according to KELO-TV.
Biden’s plan would forgive up to $10,000 for many students, and up to $20,000 for Pell grant recipients.
“College may not be the right decision for every American, but for the students who took out the loans, it was their decisions: able adults and willing borrowers who knowingly agreed to the terms of the loan and consented to taking on debt in exchange for taking classes,” the letter said. “A high-cost degree is not the key to unlocking the American Dream — hard work and personal responsibility is.”
