Rep. Dwight Evans suffers stroke, will be away from Congress six weeks
May 23 (UPI) -- Rep. Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania said Thursday that he suffered a minor stroke and will return to Washington, D.C., in six weeks after recovering.
Evans, a Democrat, did not specially state when he suffered the stroke, but that it was diagnosed this week.
He is currently recovering at an inpatient rehabilitation facility where he is expected to stay for another week followed by outpatient therapy.
"I currently expect to be back voting in Washington in about six weeks from now," he said in a statement.
Evans, 70, emphasized that the stroke was minor and that he did not realize one had occurred until a few days afterward.
"The main impact seems to be some difficulty with one leg, which will probably impact my walking for some time, but not my long-term ability to serve the people of Philadelphia," he said.
Evans, who represents Pennsylvania's third Congressional District, said he waited to reveal his condition until he had decided on how to go public with it, stating he wanted to use the opportunity to "help educate people" about the cerebrovascular disease.
He said that in the months ahead, he'll continue with this education campaign to "remove the stigma that sometimes accompanies strokes."
According to the American Stroke Association, a stroke is a disease affects the arteries connected to the brain and is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.
Evans was first elected to Congress in 2016 after serving more than 35 years in Pennsylvania's House of Representatives.
Sen. John Fetterman, another Democrat for Pennsylvania had suffered a stroke in 2022. He was then the state's lieutenant governor and was campaigning for the seat he now holds.
