Former Senator Al Simpson ‘Doing Well’ After Minor Stroke

Former US Senator and Cody resident Alan Simpson is recovering in a Denver hospital after suffering a minor stroke Monday night.

Collin Simpson, Al’s son, said his father was taken to Cody Regional Health. A Tuesday morning CT scan determined the source of the stroke was a left carotid artery that was blocked.

From Cody, Simpson was medical-flighted to Swedish Medical Center in Denver, CO. His wife, Ann, accompanied him.

Simpson went into surgery Tuesday night, which successfully removed the arterial blockage.

Physicians are still looking into exactly what happened, and Senator Simpson is expected to remain in Swedish Medicals’s intensive care unit for the next few days – it’s still too early to say exactly how long he will be in Denver.

The important thing: he’s doing well.

Aside from some minor speech issues, Colin Simpson says his father is recovering nicely from the stroke and surgery. He spoke to the senator over the phone Wednesday morning.

Colin Simpson says the outpouring of support for his father and family has been immensely appreciated and will go a long way to help Senator Simpson’s recovery.

“He’s tough. He’s a tough old bird. He’ll be back,” Simpson said.

Al Simpson served as a US Senator for Wyoming from 1979 until retiring in 1997. He is a Cody High School graduate – Class of 1949 – and remains active in the community.

Simpson was succeeded by Senator Mike Enzi, who will be retiring at the end of his current term in January 2021.