Billy Graham’s grandson leaves ICU after COVID diagnosis, family says
Jonathan Lotz, a North Carolina evangelical minister and a grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham, has been moved outside of intensive care after testing positive for COVID-19, his mother Anne Graham Lotz posted on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.
Jonathan Lotz had been hospitalized and was in critical condition, Anne Graham Lotz wrote on social media Saturday night.
Anne Graham Lotz, the founder of AnGeL Ministries in Raleigh, said her son will now begin rehabilitation, according to her Wednesday Facebook post.
“PRAISE GOD!!! Praise our prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God! Jonathan has just been moved out of ICU,” Anne Graham Lotz wrote on Facebook.
She did not provide additional information about his condition or where he is hospitalized.
Her initial Facebook post about her son’s battle with the virus received over 65,000 reactions and 29,000 shares. An Instagram version garnered more than 26,500 likes.
Jonathan Lotz is one of three adult children of Anne Graham Lotz and the late Danny Lotz.
He’s an ordained minister who directs Jonathan Lotz Ministries and has preached across North Carolina and the country. He grew up in Raleigh and attended Broughton High School, where he played basketball.
Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright, one of Jonathan’s sisters, thanked people for praying for him, according to a Tuesday night Facebook post.
“He is still in ICU from complications with Covid, but he’s showing signs of improvement,” she wrote. “His attitude has been positive the entire time!! He is witnessing up a storm in the hospital!! My guess is the nurses must be fighting over who gets to care for him, because he is so sweet!”
“I just wanted to ask you to please continue your prayers for his oxygen levels to go up!! The outpouring of prayers and support has brought our family to tears a bunch! We know we aren’t the only ones going through difficulty - so thank you for your compassion.”
Jonathan Lotz is a nephew of Franklin Graham, the president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief organization in Boone.
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 5:54 PM.