The West Wing’s Aaron Sorkin Shares He Suffered Stroke

Aaron Sorkin recently endured a medical emergency.

The West Wing screenwriter revealed that he suffered a stroke back in November.

Sorkin, 61, explained in a series of interviews with The New York Times published March 22 that he found himself bumping into walls while walking to his kitchen in the middle of the night. The next morning, after he kept spilling his juice, he went to see his doctor, where he learned that he had suffered a stroke.

In fact, his blood pressure was so high that Sorkin told the outlet, "You're supposed to be dead."

As for the physical impact that came, Sorkin shared he had trouble with typing and slurring words. Now, those side effects are no longer a part of his reality. However, per the outlet, he can't taste food as well as he used to. 

Looking back on the experience, Sorkin said, "Mostly it was a loud wake-up call."

"I thought I was one of those people who could eat whatever he wanted, smoke as much as he wanted, and it's not going to affect me," he added. "Boy, was I wrong."

According to the outlet, smoking has been a habitual part of Sorkin's life since high school. He shared that his smoking habit went hand-in-hand with his writing process. "It was just part of it, the way a pen was part of it."

Now, Sorkin no longer smokes and is leading a healthier lifestyle in terms of diet and exercise. The playwright is also on medication. "I take a lot of medicine," he shared. "You can hear the pills rattling around in me."

Sharing the story of his medical emergency wasn't always on Sorkin's agenda. According to NYT, he was unsure about it until he decided to share details in an effort to warn others.

Sorkin noted, "If it'll get one person to stop smoking, then it'll be helpful."