Santa Barbara City Councilmember Eric Friedman was released from the hospital and is now focusing on physical therapy and rehabilitation after suffering a heart attack while paddleboarding with friends on April 5.
An update provided by Friedman’s family over the weekend detailed the latest on the councilmember’s progress, saying that Friedman’s doctors and rehab team are “very pleased with his progress” and he is expected to “make a full recovery in the near future.”
Friedman, who is well-known for keeping positions as both a city councilmember and employee of Trader Joe’s, is undergoing an “intense” physical therapy and strengthening regimen, according to an update provided by Friedman’s wife, sons, and mother. “He’s getting stronger and better each day, but it is tiring and time-consuming,” the family said.
In the days since the heart attack, Friedman has received hundreds of messages, texts, and voicemails from community members and friends wishing him a speedy recovery. “While it is completely against Eric’s nature,” the family’s statement read, “his doctors have strongly advised him to postpone responding to those messages at this time, and to focus only on healing. The family deeply appreciates the support and encouragement sent by so many over the past week. Please understand that it might be a while before they are able to get back to you.”
Friedman’s family asked that people make donations in lieu of sending flowers, either to the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation or the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Mentoring Program.
In the statement, Friedman’s family also encouraged “everyone to talk to their doctors about the risks of heart disease, learn the signs and symptoms, and to get CPR certified” through local training programs such as The Bucket Brigade or Red Cross.
