LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he will miss this weekend’s Fancy Farm Picnic in western Kentucky as he continues recovering from his health scare.
McConnell, 84, blamed a fall at his home for the extended treatment. The senator was taken by ambulance to a hospital on June 14 and rumors have circulated about his health.
In a statement, McConnell said he is working to return to his full schedule in the U.S. Senate and in Kentucky and is continuing “intense physical therapy” under doctors’ orders. He said that recovery plan will keep him from attending the annual political gathering Saturday.
“There’s no place I’d rather be on the first Saturday in August than with the good people of western Kentucky,” McConnell said, adding he is sending best wishes to the St. Jerome community for a successful picnic and appreciates the public’s well wishes.
Doctors say McConnell remains in rehabilitation and is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office. Physicians visit with him daily, the office said, and he is undergoing multiple physical therapy and rehabilitation sessions each day to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls.
The physician’s office said McConnell’s childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility.
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