"Welcome back, man!" Biden said to Kirk as a crowd of hundreds cheered.
Kirk hugged Biden and grabbed the back of the vice president's head.
"You know, during the debate I was rooting for you," Kirk told Biden, who laughed heartily.
Biden, a former senator, also suffered a stroke in 1989 and was escorted upon his return up the Senate steps in a similar fashion by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.).
Before the climb, Kirk stood at the bottom of the Senate steps for waiting photographers and reporters, many of whom traveled from Chicago to witness his return. Kirk then turned to the steps, where he found virtually every member of the U.S. Senate — Democrats and Republicans — and dozens of House lawmakers.
Kirk's left leg shook occasionally as he raised it with each step; he stopped at least three times, with Biden quipping at one point that he wouldn't permit the senator to take so many breaks.
Kirk served for 10 years in the House before winning, in 2011, the seat once held by President Obama. His return marks what lawmakers, aides and other observers agree is a remarkable year of recovery for a stroke patient.
Feeling ill, Kirk drove to a hospital last January and checked himself in and his recovery has included learning how to walk again, a process documented by aides in a series of photographs
and YouTube videos. In the closing days of the 2012 campaign, Kirk also made robo-calls for Illinois Republican congressional candidates.
Kirk flew to Washington a few days ago and has mostly declined interview requests from outlets not based in Illinois. In an interview with a suburban Chicago newspaper, Kirk described the early days following his stroke, saying that he recalled seeing three angels at the foot of his bed before awakening in a hospital after suffering his stroke.
"You want to come with us?" Kirk said he was asked.
"No," he said he told the angels. "I'll hold off."
Kirk's climb took about five minutes and he hugged Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who lost both her legs during the Iraq war and also climbed the steps Thursday using prosthetic limbs.
"It's exciting, it reminds you of how life is fragile," Rep. Aaron Shock (R-Ill.) said of Kirk's return. "He's obviously made a remarkable comeback to be able to walk these steps when just a year ago he was in a much different state."
Reporters were waiting for Kirk when he entered the Capitol.
"Good to see you guys," he said.
When the Senate convened moments later, the chaplain led the chamber in prayer. As other senators stood and bowed their heads, Kirk stayed seated, resting his head on his desk.
No comments:
Post a Comment