These medical emergencies are becoming more frequent, especially among younger Americans. It’s to the point that anyone over 20 should know the physical signs of a heart attack or stroke. The rate at which Americans aged 20-54 suffer strokes or transient ischemic attacks has doubled over the past 30 years. Over the weekend, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) joined that statistical climb while watching his son’s hickey game. He’s resting, recovering, and fully aware, but numbness in his arm prompted him to seek medical attention (via NYT):
The chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, said that Mr. Murphy, 53, was attending his son’s hockey game on Saturday afternoon and “started experiencing numbness in his arm.” He was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors diagnosed a stroke.
Mr. Murphy was transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for monitoring and treatment. “The doctors are encouraged by his progress; he is awake and alert; and we are optimistic he will make a full recovery,” Ms. Herwitt said in her statement.
A spokesman for Mr. Murphy would not provide further details about his condition on Sunday.
Mr. Murphy, who became a senator in 2013 and has been viewed as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has spent the past several weeks on the campaign trail with Democrats as he tries to help his party take control of Congress in the midterm elections. He had been scheduled to help campaign in New Hampshire on Sunday.
[…]
At least two of Mr. Murphy’s colleagues have had strokes in recent years. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, experienced what he said was a “minor stroke” in 2022. Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, had a near-fatal stroke that same year, as he was campaigning for election.
We’ll keep you updated, but Sen. Murphy will likely make a full recovery. It seems he’s out of the worst part of the woods in this matter.