Mitch McConnell has finally given an update on his health. The Kentucky senator recently shared a statement, breaking his silence about the reason for his nearly month-long hospitalization. He also explained his mobility issues and revealed that he “took a fall” last month.
Mitch McConnell says post-polio mobility challenges led to a fall before he developed pneumonia
Mitch McConnell explained why he was hospitalized for nearly a month in a lengthy statement shared on Sunday, July 12. The 84-year-old Kentucky senator revealed that he has lived with mobility challenges since surviving childhood polio, which contributed to a fall last month. Emergency responders found him unconscious at his Washington, D.C., residence and transported him to a hospital.
“When you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth’s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I’d keep showing up to fight for you every day,” McConnell wrote. The senator also shared a photo of himself at the hospital alongside his wife, Elaine Chao.
“Surviving childhood polio meant spending my entire life with mobility challenges,” McConnell explained. “They haven’t exactly gotten easier to manage with age. And last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital,” he added.
The Republican senator also provided an update on his condition. “My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” he said. “I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.”
McConnell said he also had to “deal with a mild case of pneumonia” and continues to receive excellent care. He further shared that he has “submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident.”
He added, “And I’m continuing to do everything they ask to speed my recovery. In fact, with signs of continued progress, I’ve been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength.”
McConnell also confirmed that he will not be able to resume his duties on the Senate floor “quite yet.”
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory.
