US Senator Mitch McConnell says he will not be returning to the Senate “quite yet” after suffering from a fall and “a mild case of pneumonia”.
It is the first statement from the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican after weeks of speculation about his health, following his admission to hospital in mid-June.
A photo was released by his office, in addition to the statement, which shows McConnell with his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, holding what appeared to be Sunday’s Washington Post newspaper.
He said he was “briefly unconscious” after his fall and taken to hospital, where he had “submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident”.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumours or haemorrhages,” he said.
Addressing his wildly speculated about absence, McConnell said: “Folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older”.
He also referenced his childhood polio and the ongoing “mobility challenges” he faces as a result, saying: “They haven’t exactly gotten easier to manage with age. And last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital.”
McConnell contracted polio at the age of two, which left a portion of his left leg paralysed. He has credited extensive physical rehabilitation and a protective mother with making sure he could walk again.
In addition to facing the remnants of his polio diagnosis, the senator said he faced a mild case of pneumonia, while in hospital.
He has now been moved from hospital care to a rehabilitation centre, according to the statement.
“You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older,” the statement read.
“As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet.”
“Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct – I can’t help it.”
