The four-time astronaut, 59, said he was eating dinner after preparing for a spacewalk the next day at the time of the incident. Suddenly his condition worsened: he suddenly lost the ability to speak. Finke doesn't remember being in any pain, but his worried crewmates responded immediately and requested help from surgeons on Earth.
“My teammates could definitely see I was in trouble,” Finke recalled.
According to the astronaut, everything “happened incredibly quickly.” According to him, the attack lasted about 20 minutes, and after it he felt well. According to him, he still feels that way. He had never experienced anything like this either before or after this incident.
Doctors have ruled out a heart attack, but all other options remain open and could be related to his 549 days in zero gravity.
