Coretta Scott King facing 'a lot of rehab'

ATLANTA — Coretta Scott King's cardiologist said she could face months of physical, occupational and speech therapy after suffering a major stroke and minor heart attack earlier this week.

Dr. Charles Wickliffe said the 78-year-old widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. remained in Piedmont Hospital on Thursday with weakness in her right arm, right leg and the right side of her face.

W. A. HAREWOOD/AP Photo (enlarge photo) Cardiologist Charles Wickliffe said Coretta Scott King is 'the toughest woman I know.' With Wickliffe on Thursday as he discusses King's recent stroke and heart attack are her children Bernice (from left), Martin Luther III, Dexter and Yolanda.

The heart attack was caused by the same blood clot that traveled to the left side of her brain and triggered the stroke, the doctor said. Tuesday's stroke followed two similar episodes in recent months, the doctor said.

Wickliffe, surrounded at a news conference by Coretta Scott King's four children, said the stroke has impaired her speech, but she has been able to recognize and interact with her children, Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter and Bernice.

"She can understand some things, but not everything. She is in great spirits," said Wickliffe, who is working with King's internist, Maggie Merman. "She ate some food. She is swallowing OK. She is improving significantly day to day, and we look for a full recovery over time."

But the cardiologist cautioned that "it is going to take a lot of rehabilitation and a lot of effort. And she is prepared for that. We have to retrain the right side of her body to do the normal things that you do."

Wickliffe said King will undergo a specialized rehabilitation program.

"It will be weeks to months before she gets back to the point of useful use of her arm and leg," he said. "We hope that her speech will come back quickly."

King was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation this past spring. The ailment causes the heart to quiver and can create blood clots that can lead to strokes. Wickliffe said King's heart condition led directly to the stroke.

Wickliffe said that on at least two occasions in recent months King suffered episodes where she had difficulty speaking. Those type of episodes are commonly described as transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs. The doctor said she recovered within 15 minutes both times.

Yolanda King, the oldest child, said she was with her mother at about 10 a.m. Tuesday when she suffered her stroke. She said she noticed that her mother had stopped talking and responding to questions.

"It was apparent that something was happening," Yolanda King said. "Fortunately, we were able to move very quickly and come here."

While she arrived at the hospital in good time — Coretta Scott King's Buckhead condominium is minutes away from Piedmont Hospital — Wickliffe said she was too late to receive so-called clot-busting drugs.

"The clot-busting drugs need to be used within the first hour. She was outside of that range. The risk was greater than the potential benefit," said Wickliffe adding that King is on intravenous and oral blood thinners. Wickliffe said she was lethargic during the first 12 hours of her hospital stay, but was still aware of her surroundings and her memory is likely not damaged.

King's illness has brought together her four children, who have been gathering at her bedside and praying.

"We believe this is a cleverly disguised opportunity for us to grow, and we are growing to meet this challenge," Yolanda King said.

"It is certainly difficult for us to see Mother in a weakened state," Yolanda King said. "Because our faith is so strong and we are seeing daily improvement, it helps. We are completely assured that she will come to a full and complete recovery."

Wickliffe said therapy has already started for King, and while she cannot talk, the speech therapist was able to get the classically trained vocalist to do something she hasn't done publicly in years— sing.

"She is the toughest woman I know. She is handling this extremely well," Wickliffe said. "It is harder for us than it is for her."

Ernie Suggs writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. E-mail: esuggs@ajc.com