Anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan said last night she would temporarily leave her campsite near President George W. Bush's ranch because her mother had suffered a stroke.
Ms Sheehan's son was killed in the Iraq war, and her vigil has drawn attention to her demands for a pullout of troops from Iraq.
She flew to Los Angeles with her sister to see her mother, Shirley Miller (74). Her supporters said she hoped to return in the next 24 to 48 hours, depending on her mother's condition.
The protester, whose 24-year-old son Casey was killed in combat in Iraq last year, has spent the last 12 days camping out down the road from the ranch where Mr Bush is holidaying.
Ms Sheehan met the president in 2004 but is demanding a second meeting so she can ask him about his justifications for war and urge him to bring home the troops. The White House has refused a meeting, although Mr Bush has expressed sympathy for the Vacaville, California, woman.
More than 1,800 Americans have been killed in Iraq and thousands more have been wounded.
Agencies