In the 80’s her health has been seriously disturbed and on several occasions she was hospitalized because of heart problems, and in September 1989 she had a pacemaker surgery.
When AIDS takes swing the world as a disease of the new time, new lines of activities are directed towards raising public awareness of the causes and consequences of the disease. On this occasion of December 24, 1985, Mother Teresa opens first hospital for the people sick from AIDS in New York. That same year by U.S. President Ronald Reagan received the highest award that can be awarded to a civilian in the United States - the Presidential Medal of Freedom, another in a series of accolades and awards for her humanitarian work
In 1996 the Act of Congress as Mother Teresa was declared an honorary citizen of the United States, and is one of the six people who had that honour..
The period from 1990 and until her death in 1997 was a period of intense activity. Although her health was seriously disturbed, didn’t prevent the spreading of the mission and the opening of more than 170 companies worldwide. In the last years of her life Mother Teresa wanted to withdraw several times from the forehead lines, but the sisters with a secret ballot in January put her in charge again. After two heart surgeries in 1993 and 1996 she withdraws and in March 13, 1997 Sister Nirmala was elected as her successor like Superior General. That same year on September 5 she died in Calcutta at the age of 87. In a sign of gratitude the Indian government gave her a funeral with state honours. Her body was laid in the Motherhouse in Calcutta. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayers of people of all faiths and social strata.
