RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Former U.S. Senator Kay Hagan is being treated at a specialty rehab facility in Atlanta as she recovers from encephalitis, her husband confirmed.
In December, Hagan was rushed to a Washington hospital and placed in intensive care.
She has since been moved to the Shepard Center in Atlanta. The Center is a specialty hospital and rehab facility for those with spinal or brain injuries.
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain usually caused by a virus. Its symptoms include fever or severe headache as well as confused thinking and seizures.
Hagan’s doctors have not confirmed how she contracted encephalitis.
"We continue to be grateful for the expressions of concern and support for Kay we have received and continue to receive. We are very pleased with the treatment she is receiving at the Shepherd Center and hope it will help her recover from this illness,” Her husband Chip Hagan said.
A family spokesperson also released a statement,
"Kay has been moved to the Shepherd Center, a specialty hospital and rehab facility in Atlanta for individuals with spinal cord and brain injuries. She has started to regain some of the responsiveness that she had previously lost. Kay's doctors are still not sure how she contracted encephalitis."
Chip Hagan said the family recognizes Kay’s recovery process will be a long one but she has started to regain some responsiveness.
