Family members say Senator Greg Hembree is making improvements after he was placed on a ventilator last Friday due to complications stemming from a blood infection.
Hembree was initially hospitalized nearly two weeks ago following a potential small brain aneurysm.
His daughter, Nora, said while the senator was responding well to neurological tests after he was admitted for treatment, his condition continued to worsen.
“His doctors quickly diagnosed him with a blood infection called MSSA (methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus) and began appropriate treatment. While the infection cleared his bloodstream, it had already taken hold in his lungs. For close to a week, he trended downward, needing more and more oxygen. Then last Friday night, he and my mom made the decision to have him intubated, sedated and placed on a ventilator.”
Hembree’s daughter says he has, though, shown some signs of improvement in his overall health – including no signs of an aneurysm or brain bleed. She says he is currently in “very stable condition” and needing less oxygen.
There is currently no timetable on how long it will take the senator to recover.
Hembree was first elected to the state senate in 2012. Prior to that, he served as the 15th Circuit Solicitor for 14 years.
