I thought we could all use a little inspiration:


CHICAGO (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, who suffered a stroke in January, released a second video message Sunday showing improved mobility and speech and detailing his work to find a replacement for U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.
"I wanted to make sure we could update the people of Illinois on my progress against this stroke," the 52-year-old Kirk said in the video. "The progress I have made has been very encouraging — learning to walk again and improving my speaking skills."
The three-minute video (http://bit.ly/NuuErR ) features footage of the Republican walking on a treadmill and up stairs under the close supervision of a rehabilitation specialist but without a cane he had previously used. It shows him walking faster than a previous video, aided by a harness extending above his shoulders. He speaks at times with a stutter and sometimes struggles to form words during the video, which was filmed both at his Fort Sheridan, Ill., home and at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Kirk said he recently finished a nine-week mobility study at the institute where he walked nearly 15 miles and climbed 145 flights of stairs. He said a high point of his recovery was walking up all the stairs of the institute and that it was good to be at home during his recovery. He was moved to outpatient rehabilitation in May.
The senator suffered a major stroke on Jan. 21 and underwent emergency surgery that included the temporary removal of a 4-by-8-inch piece of his skull to allow for swelling. Surgeons also removed two small pieces of brain tissue destroyed by the stroke.
Doctors have said the stroke was expected to limit movement on his left side and perhaps in his facial muscles, though they expected him to make a full mental recovery.