Sen. Chris Van Hollen Discharged From Hospital After Suffering Minor Stroke During Speech

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has been discharged from the hospital after suffering a minor stroke last weekend, he announced Sunday.

Van Hollen offered the health update via Twitter, tweeting alongside a picture of himself and his dog that “It’s great to be back home after a long week. I’m grateful for the generous outpouring of support from everyone and the dedicated care I received from the team at GW,” referencing the medical team at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

The 63-year-old senator experienced a small stroke last Sunday while giving a speech at the Western Maryland Democratic Summit at the Rocky Gap Casino Resort. Van Hollen was able to get through his address, but said he began feeling acute neck pain and lightheadedness. After undergoing an angiogram, doctors concluded that he had suffered “a minor stroke in the form of a small venous tear at the back of my head,” the senator said last week.

FETTERMAN RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER STROKE AND SURGERY

Van Hollen’s spokeswoman said at the time that he would not need to undergo any surgery or procedures, though he would need to remain at the hospital for observation.

On Thursday, the senator said in a statement that he was “on the mend and on track for a full recovery, and following my doctors’ orders, I’ll begin to ease back into my schedule.” He noted in his initial announcement last Sunday that his medical team said there would be “no long-term effects or damage as a result of this incident.”

Van Hollen, 63, was elected to the Senate in 2016. He is up for reelection this year and will be on the ballot in the Democratic primary in July. The lawmaker is a part of the slim majority Democrats hold in the Senate. The party has 51 voting members in their camp: 48 Democrats, two independents who caucus with the left — Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME) — and Vice President Kamala Harris, who has a tiebreaking vote in her capacity as president of the upper chamber of Congress.

Earlier this year, Van Hollen’s colleague Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) was hospitalized for nearly a month after suffering “a stroke in the cerebellum, affecting his balance.” The 49-year-old lawmaker underwent surgery at the time to “ease swelling.” He returned to the Senate in early March after a four week absence.

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Another Senate Democratic hopeful also experienced a similar medical episode at the same time as Van Hollen, with Pennsylvania’s Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announcing last Sunday that he had experienced a stroke the Friday before. His campaign said the medical episode stemmed from a heart condition called atrial fibrillation, caused by a blood clot.

The progressive Democrat, 52, underwent surgery during his hospital stay to “implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator,” his campaign said last week. He was discharged from the hospital this Sunday, more than one week after being admitted.