Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 26, 2009 / 01:43 am
Bishop of Knoxville Richard F. Stika expressed his gratitude for the prayers of the faithful and reiterated his trust in Jesus after being released from a Fort Lauderdale, Florida hospital on August 21. The bishop suffered a mild diabetes-related heart attack on Saturday, August 15.
The bishop had been participating in a Spanish language immersion program in San Antonio, Texas when he flew to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday to visit his ailing friend Archbishop Mansour Zayek, who was returning home to Lebanon.
The bishop suffered from flu-like symptoms which doctors believe contributed a high sugar level and brought on the heart attack.
“Bishop Stika was kept in the cardiovascular intensive care unit during the week as he amazed doctors and nurses with his rapid recovery from a life threatening illness,” the Diocese of Knoxville said in a statement. “When someone is diabetic, even a simple illness can rapidly become very serious.”