In this Dec. 18, 2012 photo, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk speaks about his recovery from a major stroke a year ago at his home in Highland Park, Ill. Kirk said it is the hardest thing he's ever done. He plans to return to the U.S. Senate on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, and climb the 45 steps of the Capitol. Credit: AP
Almost a year after he suffered a massive stroke, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) plans on returning to work on Thursday. In a wide-ranging interview with the Chicago Daily Herald, Kirk revealed that he saw three angels at the foot of his bed before waking up in a hospital bed last January.
Kirk said the angels asked him if he wanted to come with them, to which the senator replied, "No. I'll hold off."
“I would say that I definitely became much more religious,” Kirk told the Herald. "They say there are no atheists in foxholes, and this stroke put me into a very deep foxhole. Yet, that feeling of faith sustained me, so I have no feelings of anger or regret."
Kirk also talked about visualizing walking up the steps to the Capitol to keep him motivated. “I kept imagining going back to work…and the irreducible physical amount of effort I had to put in," he added.
Kirk's stroke was reportedly caused by a blocked artery and occurred on the right side of his brain, affecting movement on his left side. He said he realized how close to death he was while he was having his stroke.
"A thing goes off in your head that this is the end," he recalled.
But now, almost a year later, Kirk will achieve his goal and walk up the steps to the Capitol under his own power.
(H/T: Washington Post)
Featured image via AP
