In his first public message since his stroke, Sen. Mark Kirk discusses his rehabilitation process and how he’s anxious “to get back to work to vote to spend less, borrow less and tax less to fix our economy.”
Just 15 weeks after the stroke, Kirk’s recovery seems to be progressing well. The video shows him walking with help from a three-footed cane and rehabilitation aide, but with some apparent paralysis on the left side of his face and his arm. Anyone who has a family member or friend who has suffered a stroke knows that recovery is a long and challenging process. But Kirk has the advantage of being fairly young and in otherwise good health, and he reportedly hopes to return to work after the August recess.
And the sooner he returns, the better for conservatives. While many of the rising conservative leaders in Congress are very strong on economic issues, Kirk has also been a critical voice on foreign policy and an unwavering defender of Israel. So much so that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the senator’s work at the beginning of his speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee earlier this year.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Kirk, and let’s hope it’s not long before he’s able to climb those 45 steps from the parking lot to the Senate front door.