Representative out of hospital, resting at home

PALMER -- State Rep. Scott Ogan is out of the hospital and on the mend at home, and was scheduled to begin his cardiac therapy yesterday.

"I'm improving every day significantly," Ogan said.

After a couple of weeks of cardiac therapy, Ogan, R-Palmer, said he hopes to head to Juneau for the end of the legislative session.

"I'm staying pretty active with my stuff," Ogan said. "I've got bills moving and I'm keeping up with what the issues are."

Ogan said while he wishes he could be more engaged, he's not too distraught over missing talk of taxes.

"I'm sure I'd be pretty distressed over a lot of the tax talk," Ogan said.

The new pacemaker and automatic defibrillator Ogan now wears is working well, he said, and according to a Thursday doctor visit, the device has not yet had to be used.

"They can actually tell if it has fired off at all," Ogan said. "There hasn't been a need for the pacemaker to kick in. That's really good news."

Previously, Ogan characterized his heart as having a bit of engine trouble.

"I had a 100-horsepower engine before the heart attack," Ogan said. "It was probably running on about 85 horses already because I had some artery problems. Now I've got some water in the gas, I've got new spark plugs -- I still need to get the oil changed. Will I ever get 100 horsepower out of it again? I fully expect to get up to 90, 95 horsepower again. I look at it as, I have a resolute constitution."

The most uplifting facet of the whole experience, Ogan said, has been the community response.

"I think one of the most touching things about this ordeal is just the sheer amount of people who have been praying and giving their support," Ogan said.