Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) released a video on Sunday highlighting his recovery since suffering an ischemic stroke in late January.
The indefatigable lawmaker may have been unable to power walk through the halls of Congress the past seven months but, as the video released by his office shows, Kirk has made powerful strides in his ability to walk, talk and write.
The three-minute video shows Kirk at various milestones in his recovery, from relearning to walk after the stroke, to interacting with members of Congress who have visited him.
His office says Kirk completed a "9-week mobility study at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC),” where he “walked a total of 14.79 miles and climbed 145 flights of stairs."
In the video, Kirk explains that “the progress that I have made has been very encouraging – learning to walk again and improving my speaking skills … I climbed every story of the RIC building.”
In May, Kirk was able to return home while he remains in outpatient care at RIC.
Kirk provided the update on camera from the library at his home in Fort Sheridan, Illinois.
The junior Senator says that he talks to his “staff several times a day … about key issues,” and has “been keeping up with Senate business by the regular emails that the Minority Leader sends out regarding upcoming votes.”
Kirk released a similar video at the beginning of May, when he had started his outpatient recovery program at RIC.
In January, doctors said that the 52-year old senator's prognosis was good, given his age and healthy life style – but recovery from strokes can be arduous and lengthy.
Kirk did not say when he would be able to return to Washington D.C. but noted that he will continue to keep sending updates and working from his home state.
