Eunice Kennedy Shriver remains in critical condition

In this story: Recovering from second surgery Involved in charitable organizations RELATED STORIES, SITES

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Kennedy family matriarch Eunice Kennedy Shriver remained in critical condition Sunday at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

The 79-year-old sister of President John F. Kennedy and founder of the Special Olympics is suffering from a postoperative infection.

Shriver underwent major surgery at the same hospital October 12 to remove a benign pancreatic tumor. She was released October 21.

Shriver underwent major surgery at the same hospital October 12 to remove a benign pancreatic tumor. She was released October 21.

After complaining of pain, she was readmitted to the hospital in the early morning of October 23.

The next night, doctors determined Shriver had a postoperative infection, and to stem it they performed surgery.

Shriver was the fifth of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. In 1953 she married Sargent Shriver. Their five children include Maria Shriver, who is married to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

When founding the Special Olympics in 1968, Shriver was motivated, in part, by her experiences with her mentally retarded sister, Rosemary. She also heads the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation, which funds Catholic organizations and institutions for the mentally retarded.

In 1981, she established Community of Caring, a program that works to lower teenage pregnancy rates.

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Special Olympics

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