After a “minor ischemic stroke”, Representative Dwight Evans announced Thursday that he will be away from the Capitol during his recovery for six weeks.
In a written statement, Evans said that he did not know he had a stroke when the incident occurred and only discovered the diagnosis last week. He said that the stroke should not affect his ability to serve constituents in the future.
Evans stated, “I would like to emphasize the term minor and let my constituency know that I’m recovering from a small stroke.”
For a few weeks, I didn’t even realize what happened. “The primary effect is some difficulty with one leg. This will probably affect my ability to walk for a little while. But it won’t impact my capacity to help people in Philadelphia in the long term,” the speaker said.
Evans said that he was recovering at an inpatient rehab center and that he intended to stay there for another week before switching over to outpatient care. He said that he intends to vote in Washington six weeks from now.
He said: “I’d like to be left alone during these six weeks as I am focusing on my recovery.”
Evans said that since receiving his diagnosis last week, he “has taken time to rest and recuperate and to decide how best to communicate with the public to help educate them.”
Evans said that “many people can recover, and continue with their lives and their work” and that he plans to “remove the stigma that often accompanies a stroke” in the coming months.
Sen. John Fetterman is a well-known Democrat who hails from Pennsylvania. He suffered a stroke while running for the seat he holds in the upper chamber. He was open about his mental issues and his recovery journey, which led to him seeking therapy at the start of his term.
In a House with margins that have never been so close, every vote counts. At the moment, there are five seats that remain open. Republicans hold 217 seats and Democrats 213 seats. Evans’ absence for the next six weeks will result in a majority of five votes.
