Sharon back to work after stroke
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returned to his regular work schedule today for the first time since suffering a mild stroke, joking about his health scare during the weekly meeting of his Cabinet.
Sharon, overweight and a self-admitted food lover, gave the ministers a tongue-and-cheek warning about the dangers of fried foods eaten during the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which was beginning at sunset.
After last week’s stroke, doctors urged Sharon, 77, to go on a diet.
“I hope you will all eat doughnuts and potato pancakes,” Sharon said, smiling and evoking laughter. “You have permission to eat them but I recommend that you don’t overdo it.”
Sharon spent most of last week resting after he was taken to hospital on December 18. Doctors later said he suffered a mild stroke that had not caused any permanent damage.
Sharon’s blood pressure and cholesterol levels are normal despite his weight troubles, the doctors said.
The stroke has sparked calls for the prime minister to release his health records and set off rampant media speculation about his weight.
The Haaretz daily wrote in an editorial today that Sharon should serve as an example and go on a diet.
“One can demand from a man whose leadership abilities are so outstanding, in the army as well as on the political battlefield, to show the same leadership when it comes to the area of health,” the editors wrote.
Sharon’s doctors are scheduled to hold a news conference on Monday to reveal all the details of his health, Haaretz said.
The report could not immediately be confirmed.
The stroke has also turned Sharon’s health into a campaign issue. Sharon hopes to win election to a third term as leader of a new centrist party in March 28 elections.
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