|
 |
 |
|
Sen. Kirk says he saw angels after stroke
Sen. Mark Kirk says he turned down an offer from three angels to join them after suffering a devastating stroke nearly a year ago.
While opening up for the first time about his health battle to the Daily Herald, the Illinois Republican says he saw a trio of angelic figures standing at the foot of his bed. Kirk says they asked, “You want to come with us?”
“No,” he replied, “I’ll hold off.”
The lawmaker, 53, says he’s unsure if the vision after his January 2012 stroke was a dream or near-death experience, or if it was an effect of medication he was prescribed during his hospital stay following the stroke.
Kirk says the stroke ultimately changed his outlook on life. "I would say that I definitely became much more religious.”
While it didn’t affect Kirk’s cognitive ability, the stroke altered his mobility on the left side of his body. Doctors say a blocked artery caused the ischemic stroke.
The junior senator will mark a major milestone in his recovery when he returns to Washington on Thursday. Kirk, who will use a wheelchair to get around more quickly at work, plans on climbing the steps of the Capitol without holding onto the handrail.
He says getting back to the D.C. grind is part of what kept him going during months of rehab: “I kept imagining going back to work and the irreducible physical amount of effort I had to put in.”
