Senator Mark Kirk Recovering Well From Surgery

By Soyoung Kwak in News on Jan 29, 2012 8:00PM

After suffering a stroke last weekend and undergoing surgery this past Monday to reduce swelling in his brain, Senator Mark Kirk seems to be in good spirits. Last weekend, Sen. Kirk suffered a stroke on the right side of his brain, causing health complications on the left side of his body. Doctors were not sure how the stroke and the surgery would affect him, and suggested that there could be some complications from the stroke in which the left side of his body could be partially paralyzed.

As of the start of the weekend, Sen. Kirk's condition has been improving. Sen. Kirk appears to be alert and eager to make a full recovery:

Kirk credits his last near-death experience — being rescued by the Coast Guard at 16 when his boat capsized in Lake Michigan and being treated for hypothermia at Evanston Hospital — as a “life-changing” event that fueled his drive to succeed.

Friends and colleagues said Saturday that they presume this second lesson in his own mortality will only strengthen his drive. Kirk has been giving doctors a thumbs-up sign on request and has been joking around and acting more like himself.

On Friday morning, Kirk’s neurosurgeon at Northwestern, Richard Fessler, released a statement saying, “He is alert, responding more rapidly to questions and the swelling in his brain has stabilized."

It has been a very intense week for Sen. Kirk. Even though he is feeling antsy in his hospital bed, it is unclear when Sen. Kirk will be released from the hospital.