Governor in critical condition

Gov. Frank O'Bannon remained in critical condition Tuesday night after suffering a massive stroke Monday morning during a conference visit to Chicago.\nOfficials at Northwestern Hospital, where O'Bannon is being treated, said in a statement that the governor remains on life support and there have been indications he suffered brain damage as a result of the stroke.\nHowever, two brain scans Tuesday morning revealed that surgery stopped the excess blood flow that caused the stroke, the statement said, and O'Bannon's vital signs were more stable. \n"The governor had an intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke," said Jose Biller, chairman of neurology at the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis. "(It) is one of the most deadly kinds of strokes."\nUnlike most strokes, which are the result of clots that interfere with the brain's blood supply, hemorrhagic strokes occur when a blood vessel ruptures, flooding certain areas of the brain while obstructing blood flow to other areas. They frequently happen without warning.\n"The way it works is that he's either going to die … or it's a waiting game," said Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington. "If he survives, it really becomes a waiting game to see what his state of impairment will be."\nWelch said O'Bannon received a call around 7 a.m. on Monday, which places the time of the stroke roughly between 7 and 9 a.m. Hospital officials wouldn't comment on how the response time might affect O'Bannon's prognosis.\nEven if the governor recovers, it is unlikely that he will be able to carry out his duties for the remainder of his term, Welch said.\n"If he does survive, there will be a long period of rehabilitation," she said. \nLt. Gov. Joe Kernan is attending to state business while O'Bannon's family awaits further developments. \n"My understanding is that the family is in Chicago at his bedside," Welch said.\nMeanwhile, residents in O'Bannon's hometown of Corydon, Ind., have been keeping the politician in their thoughts. The congregations of local churches have been asked to include O'Bannon in their telephone prayer trees.\nIn a statement issued Tuesday, first lady Judy O'Bannon thanked Hoosier citizens for supporting her family throughout the ordeal. \n"Words cannot describe the comfort we feel from the people of Indiana," she said.\n-- The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.