Murphy leaves hospital to begin stroke recovery
The Connecticut senator will spend several weeks in rehab after a hemorrhagic stroke, missing Senate votes during the recovery period.
By Kaito Sokolov ·
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy left the hospital on Friday after being treated for a stroke. He is moving to a rehabilitation facility to continue his recovery.
Murphy, 53, said in a statement that doctors are very encouraged by his progress. He expects the rehab stay will help him return to work on the quickest timeline possible. He told his Senate colleagues he will miss several weeks of votes.
Doctors diagnosed him with a small hemorrhagic stroke, which is a bleed in the brain. Murphy said he called 911 on Oct. 31 after feeling that something was not right with his body. He described the experience as scary for him and his family. He asked for continued respect for their privacy.
Dr. Jose Suarez, chief of neurosciences critical care at Johns Hopkins Hospital, issued a statement about Murphy's condition. Suarez said the senator has shown tremendous progress. He added that they expect Murphy to make a full recovery following rehabilitation.
Murphy said he is staying engaged with his team remotely. His staff is working to keep the office's operations running without interruption. He expressed his thanks to the doctors and staff at Johns Hopkins who treated him.
The stroke occurred just after a busy election cycle. Murphy traveled the country to support House and Senate candidates before the midterms. Democrats secured majority control in Tuesday's elections. Lamont won reelection in Connecticut, and Peggy Flanagan won the Senate seat in Minnesota.
Before the election, Murphy completed a 70 mile walk across Connecticut. He also visited the Middle East in October to meet with several leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Three other Senate Democrats have had strokes in recent years. Sens. Ben Ray Lujan and Chris Van Hollen had strokes in 2022 and have recovered. Sen. John Fetterman had a stroke in 2022 and now uses adaptive technology in the Senate. Fetterman posted on social media the day after Murphy's stroke that his family was rooting for a full and speedy recovery.
