Aaron Sorkin is “supposed to be dead” after suffering a stroke. The ‘West Wing’ creator called his doctor in November when he woke in the middle of the night and kept crashing into walls on his way to the kitchen, then the following morning he repeatedly spilled his orange juice, and was told to go to the surgery immediately.
While many of the problems have now been overcome, the ‘Newsroom’ writer still “can’t really taste food”, but he insisted he is “fine”. “Let me make this very, very clear. I’m fine. I wouldn’t want anyone to think I can’t work. I’m fine.”
Aaron told the New York Times newspaper the doctor told him his blood pressure was so high, “you ought to be dead”. The 61-year-old screenwriter was told he had had a stroke. For around a month afterwards, Aaron was slurring his words and had trouble with typing, and up until recently he was unable to sign his name. The ‘Being the Ricardos’ director admitted the stroke was a “loud wake-up call” because after being a heavy smoker since high school, he immediately quit the habit cold turkey following his illness.
Aaron has also overhauled his diet and works out twice a day. And he added: “I take a lot of medicine. You can hear the pills rattling around in me.” The ‘Molly’s Game’ filmmaker was initially unsure about going public with his help issues but hopes he can serve as a warning to others. He said: “If it’ll get one person to stop smoking, then it’ll be helpful.”
