Richard Dawkins has had a stroke


Last weekend, Richard Dawkins had a medical emergency.

Richard Dawkins has suffered a minor stroke, said the Sydney Opera House on Friday in a statement.

He is recuperating and is expected to “make a full or near full recovery”.

The well-known atheist was scheduled to deliver talks in Australia and New Zealand, which have been cancelled.

“On Saturday night Richard suffered a minor stroke, however he is expected in time to make a full or near full recovery. He is already at home recuperating,” said the announcement. “This unfortunately means Richard will be unable to make his planned Australian and New Zealand tour.”

“He is very disappointed that he is unable to do so but looks forward to renewing his plans in the not too distant future.”

Despite our differences, we should all hope for his full recovery.

Comments

  1. throwaway, butcher of tongues, mauler of metaphor says

    As the son of a recent stroke victim (also minor, but scary nonetheless), I can sympathize with what Juliet must have felt. It’s never good news to hear that your father has been rushed to the hospital for any reason. But stroke is among the worst reasons. So much dread and mortal fear about the situation and what this may mean for their future health. Non-portentous, that’s what I’m hoping for.

  2. says

    Well, the great news is they think he will recover fully! And nowadays they’re getting so much better at dealing with strokes.

    I won’t pray for him, but I’ll cheer for his doctors! Go modern medicine!

  3. themadtapper says

    Yeah, that’s not something you’d wish on anyone, no matter how much bad blood there might be. Here’s hoping there’s no lasting damage.

  4. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    I’ve been helping to deal the aftermath of strokes for about thirty years, first with my father, then the Redhead. I don’t wish a stroke on anyone. I hope for a full recovery for RD.

  5. bonzaikitten says

    I hope he recovers quickly. My father has had several strokes, and it is terrifying for everyone concerned, and the recovery process isn’t much fun either. I don’t look forward to some of the comments I’m sure I’ll read in the skeptic groups, blaming others for it, though.

  6. Marcelo says

    Sadly, if the situation was the reverse and PZ or Rebecca Watson were the ones suffering a serious health affliction, I doubt he would refrain of mocking them or wishing them the worst.

  7. says

    Oh fuck. Strokes are so damn scary. I hope this was indeed minor, in every sense, and that Mr. Dawkins has a quick and uneventful recovery, and hopefully, no more strokes in the future.

  8. says

    Marcelo @ 8:

    Sadly, if the situation was the reverse and PZ or Rebecca Watson were the ones suffering a serious health affliction, I doubt he would refrain of mocking them or wishing them the worst.

    I most seriously doubt that would be the case, and in any event, this is hardly the proper time and place to try and score a point, don’t you think? What someone else might do in such a situation is not relevant, it is what you do that speaks to the person you are.

  9. says

    Throwaway @ 1:

    As the son of a recent stroke victim

    I’m sorry to hear, strokes are bloody terrifying. I hope you are all doing well, have support, and the recovery is a good one.

  10. Hj Hornbeck says

    Shoot, no-one deserves a stroke. I hope Dawkins is back on his feet and fully functional in no time.

  11. Menyambal says

    Strokes are scary for anyone. For a person as dedicated to knowledge as Dawkins has been, the potential loss is horrible. I hope he and his family recover fully.

  12. tbtabby says

    Glad to hear he’ll make a recovery, but it won’t be long before the Christian vultures start crowing about how the stroke was a punishment from God.

  13. says

    @8 I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t at least part of me that agrees with you. This is not a part of myself I’m particularly proud of, or even like, but it is there. My zeal tends to outweigh my rationalism and human decency much more than I’d like.

    I wish RD well, I hope he has a speedy and full recovery. Should there be any kind of silver lining to this tragedy, may it perhaps allow him insight and empathy with those he would otherwise belittle.

  14. says

    I won’t pray for him either, but I too hope he recovers. Stroke is not a good thing to happen to anyone, but unlike my grandmother and aunt he has far advanced medicine at his disposal so his chances are good.

    Marcelo, I do not wish to pile on you, but speculating now about what “the other” would do if it happened to PZ at this time is neither rational and skeptical, nor decent. You should not do such things no matter how many reasons you have to think your speculation is correct.

  15. woozy says

    Sadly, if the situation was the reverse and PZ or Rebecca Watson were the ones suffering a serious health affliction, I doubt he would refrain of mocking them or wishing them the worst.

    That’s pure speculation and projection, and in all honesty, I really very much doubt it. Dawkins says socially offensive things, including some tone-deaf ignoring of the people behind his proclamations, but I don’t actually think he’s ever stooped to personal attacks, mockery, or reveling in another’s misfortune. In fact, that’s a rather nasty slur.

  16. Athywren - This Thing Is Just A Thing says

    My dad had what we thought was a minor stroke a few months ago while working away from home, more than 200 miles away… turned out it was a seizure, not a stroke, but those were the worst few days of all our lives in my family.
    I hope Dawkins has good care and makes a full recovery.

  17. ianrennie says

    Here’s hoping he recovers soon and quickly. I have my disagreements with the man but he deserves health.

  18. Holms says

    If there is one thing I wish upon him, it might be some introspective reflection as a result of this health scare. Followed by a return to good health.

  19. rorschach says

    “Minor stroke” usually refers to a Transient Ischemic Attack, a kind of warning shot that something is amiss with regards to cerebral perfusion. By definition it means symptoms resolve within 24 hours. But it needs follow-up with blood tests and ultrasound.
    Richard needs to sort out his risk factors in the coming days. I wish him all the best.

  20. laurentweppe says

    “Minor stroke” usually refers to a Transient Ischemic Attack, a kind of warning shot that something is amiss with regards to cerebral perfusion

    Or to subdural hematomas. My father suffered from three such strokes… in three months, each one exhibiting worsening symptoms, followed by an hospitalization, a trepanation, an increasingly large list of drugs to take, and slower recoveries… The “Minor” term the surgeons and nurse keep repeating to me is really starting to feel like polite bullshiting.

  21. rorschach says

    Or to subdural hematomas.

    If you are prone to falls or banged your head it’s a possibility, especially if you take blood thinners. Not otherwise.

  22. laurentweppe says

    In my father’s case, it’s not banging his head, it’s excessive blood pressure.

    And since after a trepanations, doctors prescribe huge doses of Corticosteroid, which have the side effect of causing hypertension in healthy people and worsening it in those who already suffer from it…

  23. alkisvonidas says

    Wishing Richard Dawkins a swift recovery, no ifs and buts.

    @Marcelo

    Sadly, if the situation was the reverse and PZ or Rebecca Watson were the ones suffering a serious health affliction, I doubt he would refrain of mocking them or wishing them the worst.

    He has explicitly stated in the past that schadenfreude is not his cup of tea, and refrained from mocking even his theist opponents in their unfortunate hour. He may be terribly misguided in some of the things he says (and it’s a long list), but I don’t for a minute think that actual malice is involved.

    @tbtabby

    Glad to hear he’ll make a recovery, but it won’t be long before the Christian vultures start crowing about how the stroke was a punishment from God.

    Could we wait until they actually do, instead of speculating about it? Regardless of what one thinks of Christians, reveling at another’s misfortune is not a Christian thing to do.

  24. Saad says

    alkisvonidas, #32

    Wishing Richard Dawkins a swift recovery, no ifs and buts.

    Agreed. His stroke and his opinions are completely different things. This is not the time to bring in those topics with ifs and buts. He’s a human being with loved ones and a stroke causes him and them the same pain and discomfort as it would to anyone else.

  25. says

    The Guardian says he’s already back on the Twitter, so “Yay” for a swift recovery, I guess, with a side order of “Oi, Dawkins, no!” for the Twitter feed.

  26. carlie says

    I wish him a speedy recovery, and I also hope that no one ever uses this to mock (or excuse) any of his future endeavors.

  27. Dreaming of an Atheistic Newtopia says

    My father is also a stroke survivor so my sympathies go to Dawkins and his family. I’m glad the recovery seems to be ocurring very fast.

    @36 carlie
    You might as well wish that nobody ever blames his stroke on feminists. Inevitable things are inevitable.

  28. says

    Isn’t it interesting (it is to me, I hope it is to others) that so many of we, professed atheists and rationalists, express hopes and wishes for recovery of a fellow atheist? In no way am I saying it’s wrong to do so, but it’s interesting the things where our social conditioning kicks in and we just need to express that hope/wish. If he were being strictly rational, would he even want hopes/wishes any more than thoughts/prayers?

    I do hope that he makes a full recovery, of course. I was just struck by the depth of the supernatural’s hold on the human imagination, as expressed in social ritual.

    /linguist hat

  29. says

    Laurent @ 29:

    My father suffered from three such strokes… in three months, each one exhibiting worsening symptoms, followed by an hospitalization, a trepanation, an increasingly large list of drugs to take, and slower recoveries… The “Minor” term the surgeons and nurse keep repeating to me is really starting to feel like polite bullshiting.

    This sounds nerve-wracking, to say the least. I hope you and your father have a lot of support, and I hope you both get the answers you need.

  30. says

    CaitieCat:

    I was just struck by the depth of the supernatural’s hold on the human imagination, as expressed in social ritual.

    How in the hell is it, in any way, supernatural to hope for someone’s medical recovery? I’m not hoping some deity will take pity, and I doubt anyone else had that in mind, either.

  31. throwaway, butcher of tongues, mauler of metaphor says

    Thanks for the kind words Caine. I think I might have brought this up in the lounge or was going to back when it existed. Basically he ignored the symptoms of numbness and tingling in his hand, which spread to his arm, and when full paralysis struck it was while riding his motorcycle. Not a good thing to be partially paralyzed on. My mother who in recent years hadn’t ridden much with him decided to go that day. Without her presence it would have been a compound incident and I’m happy it worked out that way.

  32. throwaway, butcher of tongues, mauler of metaphor says

    Sorry, partial paralysis just of his left side.

    He is recovered essentially and doing well. He’s on blood thinners and aspirin which help, and he had a stint put in as well. No lasting damage or affects beyond what happened at the time.

    One thing that stinks is that he had developed polyps in his sinuses. So surgery was out of the question as his neurolygist didn’t want to take him off the thinners. So now he can’t smell anything. And if that’s the worst we’re struck with, I’m glad.

  33. carlie says

    CaitieCat – I think it’s a linguistic remnant, not a superstitious one. It’s a declaration that although this person is in a vulnerable state, we do not plan to cause them harm nor will we aid and abet anyone else who does, and that we do not engage in spiteful thinking. Good trait to have reinforced in a eusocial species. :)

  34. says

    Throwaway:

    Basically he ignored the symptoms of numbness and tingling in his hand, which spread to his arm, and when full paralysis struck it was while riding his motorcycle. Not a good thing to be partially paralyzed on.

    Oh fuck. Now that’s extra scary, with terrifying on top. I’m glad your mum was with him.

  35. says

    I watched that TED talk by Jill Bolte Taylor who had a stroke and described what it felt like to her, while it was happening.
    My takeaway: strokes bad. Strokes really bad. The idea of being conscious while your consciousness is getting hammered to pieces is fascinating but, no thanks. Really. I had enough neuro as an undergrad (though now it’s hopelessly outdated) that I could kind of guess what systems were being affected in her brain by what she was experiencing. Words fail. Well that’s your Broca’s area… A fellow I know who’s in the neuroscience at CMU experimented with one of those TMI machines and says that one time he managed to stun his Wernicke’s region and experienced the sensation, for 10 minutes, of losing his language processing. Waaaaaaaa!!! Sounds like one of the most dangerous toys ever: whups there’s your hippocampus offline for a minute.

    https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight?language=en

  36. numerobis says

    Expressing sympathy isn’t a holdover of superstition; it’s being supportive.

    The words we use are indeed holdovers — even as a second-generation atheist I find myself about to type out that I’m praying for peoples’ full recovery.

  37. Artor says

    My dad has has several major strokes, and I once found him flopping on the kitchen floor like a fish. It’s frightening to behold, and even more frightening to experience. Fortunately, he’s mostly recovered from them, and isn’t doing much worse than anyone pushing 80 after a lifetime of chain smoking. While I have little liking for Dawkins as a person, I wouldn’t wish a stroke on anyone.

  38. ragdish says

    Dawkins is fortunate to have received care in a single payer health system. While advances in stroke care are racing forwards, it is also a time of despair in the American system. An acute ischemic stroke mandates urgent ER care within a narrow therapeutic window. This includes not only a head CT prior to giving thrombolytics but also a more expensive CT angiography with CT brain perfusion post-thrombolysis. If the stroke has not resolved, the next step is interventional radiological procedures such as thrombectomy. This is followed by rehab and long term stroke prevention. It is foolish to think that private health insurance (for those that have it) will pay for all this. I most certainly feel “The Bern” on this matter.

  39. says

    A report from Karen Owens on Richard’s status:

    Richard Dawkins was to appear in February 12, 2016 in London with Jerry Coyne for the British Humanist Association Darwin Day event and later at events in Australia & New Zealand. He had to cancel all events. Since the Sydney Opera House has finally broken the basic story publicly on the reason why, I now feel free to add details before rumors start to fly. Friday night, February 5th, around 5:00 PM (UK time), Richard had a hemorrhagic stroke in the deep white matter of his right brain, affecting his left side. He was alone at home in Oxford. He had the presence of mind to realize he was having a stroke, struggled to his cell phone and called his wife Lalla who was in London at the time. She called a friend who has a key to their house, and then an ambulance. Because of all this, he survived. He was in John Radcliffe hospital until Tuesday the 9th and is now home. Richard underwent his first physical therapy on Wednesday the 10th at home. There are some people who would like to take Richard down and one way would be with rumors that his mind is gone. I’m happy to report that HIS COGNITIVE FACULTIES ARE THUS FAR INTACT. I know this for certain because he sent a few friends, including me, two tapes he made after the stroke, because it was too difficult for him to type Emails. His speech is only minimally impaired. The worst of it is that his face is partially paralyzed on the left. His smile is crooked. He can barely use his left hand and arm. Fortunately, he is right-handed. He has difficulty aiming at and picking things up with his left hand and more difficulty letting them go. The fact that he can use his left hand at all gives great hope for a full recovery. You can wish him well on the Richard Dawkins Foundation website or on Twitter @RichardDawkins.

  40. says

    He was alone at home in Oxford. He had the presence of mind to realize he was having a stroke, struggled to his cell phone

    Frightening. My husband is constantly on me to keep my cell charged and on. I’m getting better at it, but I need to be 100% on that score. I’m in a bad situation if a stroke hits me, alone most of the time, and an hour away from any medical facility.

  41. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Thanks for the information PZ.
    The results sound all too familiar. Recovery from hemorrhagic strokes takes longer, as the blood, which is a neurotoxin, has to be absorbed. Early therapy (occupational for the arm and speech for the facial muscles) helps.

  42. Zmidponk says

    Despite our differences, we should all hope for his full recovery.

    Agreed. Dawkins has shown himself to be a total ass when speaking about…well, pretty much everything except evolutionary biology, but that is not cause to actually wish him harm, and strokes can be especially frightening and debilitating in their effects.

  43. Golgafrinchan Captain says

    I hope he has a speedy recovery.

    My mother-in-law had a series of TIA’s several years ago but hasn’t had any problems lately. I’ll echo ragdish’s comments on universal healthcare. I’m in Canada and there was zero stress about treatment. Here (and I assume it’s the same in the UK), you just show up with your health card and the doctors decide what treatment is required. We don’t have the extra shit-layer of them having to justify it to an insurer.

    That’s what is so ironic about the “death panel” discussions; the US is one of the few developed nations that has an analogous function.

  44. says

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-athersys-study-idUSKBN0N810020150417

    Athersys Inc’s stem-cell therapy, its only product to reach human trials, failed a mid-stage study testing it as a treatment for a type of stroke, wiping off more than 40 percent of the company’s market value.

    Data showed on Friday that patients given the therapy, MultiStem, did not show a significant difference from those given a placebo as measured by the Global Stroke Recovery Assessment scale.

    The study, which was to test the safety and efficacy of the treatment given between 24 and 48 hours after an ischemic stroke, showed that MultiStem was not better than a placebo when given after 36 hours, the company said.

    However, data also showed that the therapy had better efficacy when given before 36 hours.

  45. Wharrrrrrgarbl says

    To be totally pedantic about it, a minor ischemic stroke is one with an NIHSS less than or equal to 3 whose symptoms do NOT resolve. This sounds like a hemorrhagic stroke with residual deficits, and so wouldn’t qualify as a minor ischemic stroke or TIA. Based on Karen Owens’ description I would describe Dr. Dawkins’ symptoms as mild to moderate, but the good news is that the injury sounds really small and while bleeds often have a worse initial injury, they often recover better than ischemic strokes because a substantial part of the symptoms come from edema rather than necrosis. Hemorrhage of the deep gray or white matter is usually hypertensive.

    To finish the pedantry, TIA carries the same risk of recurrent stroke as a stroke with residual deficits, anyway (actually a little higher than certain types of stroke). Here’s wishing normotension and laminar flow on Dr. Dawkins, Dr. Myers, and all our cantankerous vasculopaths.

  46. Nick Gotts says

    Best wishes to Richard Dawkins for a full and speedy recovery, and best wishes also to his family and friends.

  47. carlie says

    Welp. While we’re studiously trying not to politicize anything about this and keep the person of Dawkins and his recovery completely separate from anything else related to him, he went and all but entirely blamed his stroke on being disinvited to the NECSS conference. Richard Dawkins gives an update on his condition through the RDFRS soundcloud account. (goes to a souncloud upload)

    Partial transcript:

    I had indeed had a stroke. It was a hemorrhagic stroke, not an ischemic stroke, in the right basal ganglion which affects left side function but not higher cerebral function, thank goodness. (around 1:30)

    4:59 – The doctors asked me whether I had been suffering from stress, and I had to say yes I had. They keep advising me not to get involved in controversy, and I’m afraid I had to tell them that not getting involved in controversy is one of those things I’m not particularly talented at.
    I told them that I had been having a certain amount of controversy and was very distressed when on the 28th of January I was disinvited from a conference in America to which I had previously been asked. This upset me very much. I’m used to getting hate from religious nuts and creationists but when I get hate from what I think of as my own people, the left liberal feminists and so on that does actually hurt me.
    And I might have been expected to get the stroke after that, if ever, but paradoxically the stroke came after I got a bit of good news. On the morning of February 5 I had a very gracious letter from the conference organizers, the committee, graciously apologizing for disinviting me and reinviting me and I was overjoyed at that, and you might think that was the last time I would have got a stroke but actually it was the evening of that same day that I got the stroke.

  48. says

    Dawkins, quoted by Carlie @ 64:

    I’m used to getting hate from religious nuts and creationists but when I get hate from what I think of as my own people, the left liberal feminists and so on that does actually hurt me.

    Wow. Fuckin’ wow. His people. I’m not one of your people, Mr. Dawkins, so on that I am.

    I had a very gracious letter from the conference organizers, the committee, graciously apologizing for disinviting me and reinviting me

    And people wonder why he never learns anything. Great job, organizers and committee.

  49. carlie says

    A re-invitation isn’t listed on their conference site, and the dis-invitation still is. I got the link originally from Oolon, who said it may have been a letter from someone there saying he was welcome, but not a re-invitation to speak from the official committee.

  50. rorschach says

    A hemorrhagic stroke is often more serious than an ischemic one, because of its potential to extend, or to be catastrophic in the first place. It is also harder to recover from in my experience.
    It is most commonly caused by blowing a gasket intracerebrally through critically high BP, and if you have ever seen Richard with his flushed face you can easily imagine his BP being poorly controlled for a long time.
    The reason I’m writing this here is to make people aware that hypertension is a silent killer, you can have high BP for 20 years without any hard symptoms.
    So go to your GP and have it checked.

  51. kellym says

    …when I get hate from what I think of as my own people, the left liberal feminists and so on that does actually hurt me.

    He considers the disinviting to be hate? Then how would he describe his own behavior? Somehow, in opposite-world, he’s not hateful towards liberal feminists? Has Dawkins considered for one moment the effects of the unrelenting harassment on the countless left liberal feminists who used to admire and support him? The unrelenting harassment that he has had no small part in inspiring and encouraging. The guy has made my blood pressure rise dangerously high more than once, and I haven’t even been specifically targeted by him. I’m glad he’s recovering and have no hope that he will ever work to minimize the harm he has done to his “own people.”

  52. says

    kellym

    Has Dawkins considered for one moment the effects of the unrelenting harassment on the countless left liberal feminists who used to admire and support him? The unrelenting harassment that he has had no small part in inspiring and encouraging.

    In short: no. Since he doesn’t approve of “harassment”* he doesn’t think it’s possible that he contributes to it.
    Today another thing happened in the UK: The NUS LGBTQ officer efused an invitation to an even with Peter Tatchell and it got turned into “horrible extremists no-platform beloved gay activist”.
    Obviously the feelings of white guys who consider themselves “allies” are the most important thing in this world.

    *It’s pretty clear is that his definition of harassment is pretty different from the actual thing

  53. Athywren - This Thing Is Just A Thing says

    @Giliell, 69

    Huh… I just read an article about that, and I’m a little confused by it. Has Tatchell’s invitation actually been withdrawn because of Cowell’s statement, or does “no platformed” just mean “somebody said they didn’t want to be associated with me” now?

  54. carlie says

    I CANNOT ROLL MY EYES ENOUGH AT THIS

    Statement from the executive committee of NECSS

    We wish to apologize to Professor Dawkins for our handling of his disinvitation to NECSS 2016. Our actions were not professional, and we should have contacted him directly to express our concerns before acting unilaterally. We have sent Professor Dawkins a private communication expressing this as well. This apology also extends to all NECSS speakers, our attendees, and to the broader skeptical movement.

    We wish to use this incident as an opportunity to have a frank and open discussion of the deeper issues implicated here, which are causing conflict both within the skeptical community and within society as a whole. NECSS 2016 will therefore feature a panel discussion addressing these topics. There is room for a range of reasonable opinions on these issues and our conversation will reflect that diversity. We have asked Professor Dawkins to participate in this discussion at NECSS 2016 in addition to his prior scheduled talk, and we hope he will accept our invitation.

    This statement and our discussions with Professor Dawkins were initiated prior to learning of his recent illness. All of NECSS wishes Professor Dawkins a speedy and full recovery.

    The NECSS Executive Committee

  55. Athywren - This Thing Is Just A Thing says

    Is it worth hoping that the question of whether uncritically reposting utterly fact-free videos connecting pro-equality groups with pro-terrorism groups, and neo-nazi propaganda is a sign that you might want to take a moment and rethink a few things is going to come up in that new panel? Or was the NECSS only focussed on the offence angle, rather than the glaring irrationality too? Because fucking seriously….
    Yes, there is room for a range of REASONABLE opinions on this issues. I’ve seen no reason in recent history to see why that would mean Dawkins deserves to be reinvited.

  56. Athywren - This Thing Is Just A Thing says

    (I wonder if Rebecca Watson’s reasonable opinion on those issues will be given room on that panel?)

  57. Vivec says

    Pardon me for being a cynic, but this reeks of “Oh shit, disinviting a really famous person might hurt our wallets, that was a silly idea.”

  58. Jackie the social justice WIZZARD!!! says

    If being disinvited is hate, was it hate when he made sure Rebecca Watson could not speak at events he attended?
    Hate is claiming feminists don’t mind being raped by minorities he hates.
    Hate is claiming drunk women deserve to be raped.
    Hate is promoting anti-feminism as “real” feminism and calling protesters “vile” after years of harassment and threats made toward them.
    Hate is claiming date rape drugs make women incapable of testifying against their rapists and that child molestation is minor abuse compared to religious upbringing.

    But NESS regets denying him a stage to say these things from.

    Of course they do. Of course. *eyeroll*

  59. Matthew Trevor says

    Last October: “A university is not a “safe space”. If you need a safe space, leave, go home, hug your teddy & suck your thumb until ready for university.”

    This week: “I was disinvited from conference to which I had previously been asked, this upset me very much. I’m used to getting hate from religionists, from creationists, but when I get hate from my own people, from left, liberal feminists and so on, that actually hurt me.”

    More special pleading from a giant asshole.