Sen. Patrick Leahy, 82, Needs Surgery After Breaking His Hip in a Fall
Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Washington Post via AP
Longtime Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy broke his hip in a fall and will undergo surgery as soon as possible, his office said in a statement Thursday.
The 82-year-old Democrat fell Wednesday night at his home in McLean, Virginia, the statement said. Doctors determined the best course of action would be for Leahy to receive surgery to repair the hip as quickly as they can.
With one blind eye, Leahy "has had a lifelong struggle with reduced depth perception," the statement said. "He has taken some remarkable dingers over the years, but this one finally caught up with him."
Fortunately, he's "expected to make a full recovery and begin a healthy course of physical therapy immediately."
Leahy is currently the longest-serving sitting senator. He announced in November that he will not be seeking reelection in the fall. The Democrat will have served in the Senate for 48 years by the time his term expires in January 2023.
Leahy was taken to the hospital back in January 2020, just hours after he began presiding over the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. Leahy did not feel well and was sent to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. After his examination, he was sent home.
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Leahy is the last of the so-called "Watergate babies" — the surge of congressional Democrats elected in 1974 after President Richard Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment.