Denny Morrison discharged from hospital after stroke
4-time Olympic medallist returning to Calgary
Canadian speed skater Denny Morrison has been discharged from a Utah hospital after suffering a stroke on Sunday.
Staff at Intermountain Medical Centre in Murray, Utah, as well as Speed Skating Canada confirmed the news to CBCSports.ca.
According to Patrick Godbout, communications and media relations manager at Speed Skating Canada, Morrison is on his way back to Calgary and will be evaluated by the team's medical staff by the end of the week.
"I think right now the most important thing for Denny is to recover," Godbout said. "So, as soon as our team doctor will be back, he will be taking charge. The team doctor and the doctor in Salt Lake City already exchanged all the information."
Dr. Victor Lun, the team's head doctor, is currently out of the country but will look after Morrison upon his return.
The announcement should be welcome news to Morrison's fans, who have been sending their support to him over social media.
<a href="https://twitter.com/Denny_Morrison">@Denny_Morrison</a> oh my goodness! sending you positive vibes my friend!!! xoxo
—@mercedesnicollWishing <a href="https://twitter.com/Denny_Morrison">@Denny_Morrison</a> another speedy recovery <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hardluckguy?src=hash">#hardluckguy</a>
—@DaveHollandPicsWell wishes go out to our friend <a href="https://twitter.com/Denny_Morrison">@Denny_Morrison</a> - get well soon! <a href="https://t.co/mjunVhpgRv">https://t.co/mjunVhpgRv</a>
—@NHLFlamesFellow speed skater Josie Spence first noticed the signs of a stroke on Morrison, who had recently completed biking over 1,200 kilometres on the Arizona Trail.
After being admitted to a nearby hospital, Morrison was transferred to the Intermountain Medical Centre where he was diagnosed with a brain blood clot and a carotid artery dissection after a CT scan and MRI.
The cause of Morrison's stroke is still unknown. However, a doctor in Calgary speculated that there could be a connection between the stroke and Morrison's severe motorcycle accident that occurred in May 2015.