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Don’t Worry, Everybody, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is “Up and Working”

You can exhale now.

By Nov 9th, 2018, 12:36 pm

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, injury, healing, ribs, supreme court

Yesterday, we learned that Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized after breaking three ribs in a fall in her office. Social media was immediately filled with practical offers of assistance.

Ginsburg is 85 years old, so obviously we’re going to be worried about her. But it’s worth noting the actual description of what happened, via the New York Times.

“Justice Ginsburg, 85, went home after her fall on Wednesday evening and experienced discomfort during the night,” the paper writes, based on a statement from a Supreme Court spokesperson. “She was admitted to George Washington University Hospital on Thursday morning for observation and treatment. Doctors found three broken ribs on her left side.”

For RBG, three broken ribs equals “DISCOMFORT.” This woman is a boss. The Times also notes, “She broke two ribs in 2012, without missing work. And she returned to work quickly after undergoing a heart procedure in 2012. She is also a cancer survivor and returned to work less than three weeks after having surgery.”

Indeed, word today is that she’s “up and working” in her hospital room, “because what else would she be doing, and cracking jokes,” according to her nephew, who spoke to reporters at the premiere of the RBG biopic On the Basis of Sex last night. “I can’t promise they were good jokes but they were jokes,” he said.

The next sitting of the Supreme Court isn’t until November 26th, so once again, she’s not likely to miss a day of work. She did, however, get to miss this event:

In addition to just being an all-out inspiration of a human being, Ginsburg is an important component of the Supreme Court’s liberal minority. Please, take all of our ribs, all of our organs, all of our everything to keep her safe and healthy. Not that she needs our help with that.

ruth bader ginsburg workout

(via Reuters, image: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

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Vivian Kane - Senior News Editor

Vivian Kane (she/her) has a lot of opinions about a lot of things. Born in San Francisco and radicalized in Los Angeles, she now lives in Kansas City, Missouri with her husband Brock Wilbur and too many cats.