‘It was a wake-up call’: Aaron Sorkin, 61, reveals he suffered a stroke last year and the doctor told him ‘you should be dead’ due to his high blood pressure.
Legendary screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has revealed he had a stroke months ago when the doctor told him his blood pressure was so high he “should be dead”.
The 61-year-old filmmaker told the New York Times on Wednesday that he suffered a stroke while writing his upcoming Broadway musical Camelot in November.
He admitted the stroke was due to blood pressure so high his doctor told him “you should be dead”.
Sorkin revealed he was experiencing the symptoms of a stroke in the middle of the night when he hit walls in his home office and spilled his orange juice.
There were long-term effects too, such that he still can’t taste food and even slurred his words for about a month and couldn’t even sign his name “until recently.”
Legendary screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (pictured March 2022) has revealed he had a stroke months ago, with the doctor telling him his blood pressure was so high he “should be dead”.
He explained: “Most of the time it was a loud wake-up call. I figured I was one of those guys who could eat whatever they wanted, smoke all they wanted, and it wouldn’t affect me. Boy, was I wrong.’
Sorkin claims that he has since quit smoking, which he has done extensively since high school and was integral to his writing process.
He explained: “It was just part of it like a pen was part of it. I don’t want to talk about it too much or I’ll start drooling.”
The esteemed writer said he’s also made other big changes, including eating healthier and exercising twice a day in addition to medication, as he said, “I take a lot of medication. You hear the pills rattling around in me.’
The West Wing writer said he knew he was fortunate to be able to continue his career, as he feared he wouldn’t be able to in his darkest times.
He said: “There was a minute when I was concerned I might never be able to write again, and I was briefly concerned I might not be able to continue writing Camelot.”
New York Times writer Michael Paulson revealed that Sorkin originally told him about the stroke in passing and unofficially, and that they would revisit the issue so the Oscar winner could consider the implications before going public go.
Ultimately, Sorkin decided to talk about the incident and the road to recovery in hopes it could serve as a cautionary tale.
The 61-year-old filmmaker (pictured in February 2021) told the New York Times on Wednesday that he suffered a brain attack while writing his upcoming Broadway musical Camelot in November
He stated, “If it gets a person to quit smoking, then it will be helpful.”
Camelot is Sorkin’s reinterpretation of Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot, based on the original book by Alan Jay Lerner.
According to the play’s website, it is a “timely tale about the quest for democracy, the pursuit of justice, and the tragic struggle between passion and pursuit, between lovers and kingdoms.”
The stage show features an impressive cast including Andrew Burnap, Phillipa Soo, Jordan Donica, Dakin Matthews, Taylor Trensch and Marilee Talkington.
It is currently in preview at the Lincoln Center Theatre-Vivian Beaumont and will officially open on Thursday, April 13th.
THE CAUSES OF THE BLOW
There are two main types of stroke:
1. ISCHEMIC STROKE
An ischemic stroke — which accounts for 80 percent of strokes — occurs when a blood vessel that prevents blood from reaching a part of the brain becomes blocked.
2. Hemorrhagic stroke
The less common, a hemorrhagic stroke, occurs when a blood vessel ruptures and floods part of the brain with too much blood while depriving other areas of adequate blood supply.
It can be the result of an AVM, or an arteriovenous malformation (an abnormal collection of blood vessels) in the brain.
Thirty percent of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage die before reaching the hospital. Another 25 percent die within 24 hours. And 40 percent of those who survive die within a week.
RISK FACTORS
Age, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, family history and history of a previous stroke or TIA (a mini-stroke) are all risk factors for stroke.
SYMPTOMS OF A STROKE
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding
- Sudden visual disturbances or blurred vision in one or both eyes
- Sudden difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
RESULTS
Of the approximately three out of four people who survive a stroke, many will have lifelong disabilities.
These include difficulty walking, communicating, eating, and doing everyday tasks or chores.
TREATMENT
Both are potentially fatal, and patients must be operated on within three hours or put on a drug called tPA (Tissue Plasminogen Activator) to save them.