The wife of former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge says he’s in the early stages of recovery from a heart attack, a day after undergoing an emergency heart procedure.

The 72-year-old Ridge remained hospitalized in critically stable condition Friday in Austin, Texas, where he had been attending a Republican Governors Association conference.

Michele Ridge says it’s going to be “day-to-day.” He was at his hotel when he called for help Thursday morning. She says first responders worked heroically to get her husband to the trauma center.

He underwent a cardiac catheterization and is now resting comfortably and responding to doctors.

Ridge, a Republican, also was a two-term Pennsylvania governor from 1995 to 2001. He was the first homeland security secretary, serving under President George W. Bush until 2005.
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