After making strides while recovering from encephalitis, former US Sen. Kay Hagan has now moved to Atlanta for rehabilitation. She was initially admitted in a Washington hospital where she was diagnosed with the brain inflammation disease last month. Now, a spokesperson of the Hagan family announces that she has now been transferred to a rehabilitation center for patients with spinal cord and brain injuries in Georgia.

On December 8, Hagan was rushed to a hospital after experiencing flu-like symptoms and a serious headache. She was diagnosed with encephalitis. Unfortunately, the damage have spread to her nerve functions requiring extensive rehabilitation. Until now, Hagan's doctors are still unsure how she got the disease.

Former US senator Kay Hagan has started to gradually recover some of the responsiveness she had lost from contracting the disease says her spokesperson. According to the News & Record , Chip, her husband, have stated that while they are optimistic of her recovery they also recognize that the rehabilitation process is estimated to run for a long time to ensure complete recovery. "We continue to be grateful for the expressions of concern and support for Kay we have received and continue to receive," he adds.

According to the WRAL , the 63-year-old Democrat from Greensboro has chosen a hospital in Atlanta that specializes on the rehabilitation of individuals with brain injuries and spinal cord damages. The damages Hagan acquired are due to the inflammation of the brain and meninges that are the trademark of encephalitis. The most common cause of the condition are viral infections.

While the disease could be life-threatening, it rarely happens. In Hagan's case, she was fortunate to have the condition diagnosed promptly as it could have escalated. Former US senator Kay Hagan defeated Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008 but lost to Republican Thom Tillis in 2014.