Moderate Republican Senator from Illinois Mark Kirk Had a Stroke and is in Recovery From Surgery

Horrible news from the Chicago Tribune, about one of the few moderate Republicans left in Washington:

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk underwent surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to relieve pressure on his brain after suffering a stroke, and doctors say they are hopeful about his recovery.

“On Saturday, Senator Kirk checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital, where doctors discovered a carotid artery dissection in the right side of his neck,” his office said in a statement.

“He was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where further tests revealed that he had suffered an ischemic stroke,” it said. “Early this morning, the senator underwent surgery to relieve swelling around his brain stemming from the stroke. The surgery was successful.

During 10 years in the U.S. House before his Senate election, Kirk has forged a reputation as a centrist Republican.

He has sought to maintain that reputation amid the bitter partisan atmosphere in Washington, including working together with Democratic Majority Leader Dick Durbin, Illinois’ senior U.S. senator. Kirk recently endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for president.

Wish him a speedy and full recovery. The surgery was not minor, involving removal of a piece of skull, and currently he has some arm and facial paralysis that doctors hope will subside in recovery.

Read on at the Chicago Tribune »



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