- The Washington Times - Monday, May 21, 2012

Council member Marion Barry took to the Internet to say he is doing well after sustaining a blood clot in his leg on the way to an international retail convention in Las Vegas.

Mr. Barry, who served as the District’s mayor for 16 years, reported via Twitter on Sunday night that he was taking blood thinner after he sustained the clot while waiting on a tarmac in Memphis.

NBC Washington confirmed the Twitter postings in a report Monday morning, noting the 76-year-old lawmaker felt pain in his leg during dinner in Las Vegas last night and was treated at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas.

Mr. Barry praised the Filipino staff at the hospital on his Twitter account to clear the air over his recent comments about their being too many foreign-born nurses in the District instead of homegrown ones from the city.

“I stand corrected,” he posted. “I truly didn’t mean 2 hurt or offend.”

Mr. Barry, whose landslide victory in April’s primary elections assured him another term on the council, could not be reached by phone for comment Monday morning.

The “mayor for life” underwent a minor surgical procedure on his urinary tract in January at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

He also was hospitalized several times in 2009, including once for complications from his kidney transplant. Later that year, he spent a week at Howard University Hospital, where he was treated for dehydration and a mild blood infection. Hours after his release, he was readmitted after a sudden allergic reaction he suffered while celebrating his release from care.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

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