N.Y. Mayor Koch Leaves Hospital After Treatment for Mild Stroke

Giving a smile and a thumbs-up, Mayor Edward I. Koch left the hospital Sunday after treatment for a minor stroke.

“What you see here before you is a 28-year-old brain in a 62-year-old body,” Koch told reporters outside Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. “My intention is to bring the body . . . down to the age of the brain. . . . I intend to lose some weight.”

“I have a wonderful job as mayor,” he added. “I intend to be here for a long time.”

Koch, flanked by his doctors and a private nurse, said he had promised to follow their advice to diet and rest.

‘In Excellent Shape’

Dr. Robert Barrett, one of Koch’s neurologists, pronounced the mayor “in excellent shape” after a complete exam.

“There is no evidence of any facial weakening, slurring of speech or muscle weakness,” Barrett said.

“You’ll see that I’m not slurring,” said Koch, referring to one of the symptoms he had suffered. But the mayor spoke softly to reporters and walked slowly.

Asked if Koch seemed less exuberant than usual, Barrett said: “That was by our direction.”

As Koch was leaving, demonstrators across the street were protesting the conditions of homeless people housed in a nearby armory. Koch quipped: “I feel at home.”

Koch, who was driven home to Gracie Mansion, was told to return to the hospital for tests Wednesday.

The mayor was stricken Thursday as he was being driven to Harlem for an appointment. He complained of nausea, dizziness and slow speech. On Friday, doctors said he had suffered a minor stroke.

Among his hospital visitors were Gov. and Mrs. Mario M. Cuomo, who brought chocolate chip cookies, and Roman Catholic Cardinal John J. O’Connor.

“The cardinal said he was also going to do some Jewish prayers. I said: ‘My Jewish prayers are taken care of; do them in Latin.’ I think he did,” said Koch, who is Jewish. “I’m someone who believes in God and I am convinced that’s helped me.”