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Kilili’s back surgery successful, doctor says
Delegate Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Ind-MP) underwent successful surgery on Tuesday morning at George Washington University Hospital to alleviate pressure on his spine.
Dr. Anthony Caputy, who led the surgical team, described the three-hour operation as “completely normal and according to expectation.”
The CNMI’s four-time delegate to Congress is expected to remain in the hospital for several days recovering from the surgery, according to an official statement.
An extended period of home recovery with limited activity will follow before he begins physical therapy to restore a full range of mobility.
Sablan’s wife, Andrea, expressed the family’s gratitude for the prayers and well wishes of many constituents in the Northern Mariana Islands and other members of Congress and Capitol Hill staff who work with the congressman.
Sablan filed for a leave of absence on Feb. 20, citing the need for the surgery on his back.
Sablan earlier said that shuttling back and forth between the Commonwealth and Washington, D.C., in the last six years took a heavy toll on his back.
The lawmaker said he will “not be able to keep a full schedule” at the House of Representatives during his recovery period, but he will try to keep in touch though email and telephone.
Sablan just recently begun his fourth term as the CNMI nonvoting representative to the 114th House of Representatives.
He was sworn in last January and is the first and only official ever to represent the people of the CNMI in Congress.
