Garrison Keiller Gives Shout Out To Riverhead After Medical Incident

RIVERHEAD, NY — Audiences were delighted to welcome beloved author, singer and radio personality Garrison Keillor to The Suffolk in Riverhead Wednesday‚ but the night ended far differently than imagined, with a trip for Keillor to Peconic Bay Medical Center.

Keillor, the host and creator of the popular radio show "A Prairie Home Companion," was slated for an evening of stand-up, storytelling, song, and poetry at The Suffolk — but found himself needing medical attention.

Keillor wrote about the experience on his Facebook page: "Did a show last night in Riverhead, a handsome town on Long Island, and it went well for 95 minutes," he said. "I was solo and I sang songs and recited a bunch of poems and talked about the comedy of old age and did the 'News from the Little Town that Time Forgot' and then suddenly I forgot the lyric of the song about the shepherd who lay in the cool green grass and a moment later, my mind went blank and I stood staring at the audience, unable to speak."

He added: "A person would rather do this in private, not in front of paying customers but, as I often tell myself, old age is a comedy. A great gang of EMTs took me to Peconic Bay Medical Center which is the friendliest hospital next to St. Mary's at Mayo and they put me through the tests and I got to tell them the joke about the doctor who brings in a Siamese cat and a big black Labrador to examine the patient, who asks what that's about. The doctor says, 'It's the cat scan and the lab test.' It's an old joke, but they appreciated it."

Keillor explained what happened: "The aphasia was likely a result of a slight seizure or a TIA, a mini-stroke, so they'll boost my anti-seizure meds and now I'm off to Maine and back to Connecticut and then out to the Grand Canyon. Thank goodness for modern medicine."

According to reports, Keillor had a minor stroke in 2009.

But the show must go on, and Keillor is back on the road.

"We are happy to share that Garrison Keillor is doing well; and we wish him all the best as he continues on his tour. Those 95 minutes were wonderful!" representatives of The Suffolk said on social media.