Governor Mark Dayton says he’s leaving Rochester’s Mayo Clinic Wednesday and is “very, very excited” about going back to the Governor’s Residence. “Thursday will be Thanksgiving and it’s the last family gathering we have at the Residence during my time there, so it’s very special,” he says.
The governor says his lungs have “improved considerably” after an infection following back surgery, the cause of which he says doctors can’t pinpoint precisely. Dayton says he doesn’t know if any of his lung damage is permanent, but most of it is recoverable. “Certainly notice significant improvement,” he says. “I’m able to function now on a routine basis without any additional oxygen coming in.”
Dayton says he’s looking forward to the last six weeks of his term and continuing to serve the people of Minnesota. He says there “hasn’t been any functional difference” in how he headed state government while in the hospital: “Fargo-Moorhead diversion project, I was involved with [DNR] Commissioner [Tom] Landwehr in the final review and decision on that. Similarly with PolyMet and with other major decisions, I’ve been fully engaged, fully involved.” Dayton had to be on oxygen for a lung infection and says although it affected his mobility, his cognitive functions were not impaired.