(WDHN) — On Friday, a state lawmaker, stricken with a life-threatening health issue last month in South Korea, is expected to be flown home.

Last month, Senator Tim Melson of Florence, Alabama, was part of a state delegation visiting South Korea when he suffered cardiac arrest.

State Senator Donnie Chesteen, who represents western Houston and Geneva counties, was on the trip and said it was a scary situation.

This week, Melson was released from the ICU in a Seoul Hospital and will be flown to Birmingham tomorrow. He will then be brought to UAB Hospital.

“Let me just say, the quality of care that Senator Melson received after this incident was incredible,” Chesteen said. “The hospital where he was transported first in Seoul did a remarkable job of getting him stable enough to get him to another great institution in Seoul where he received excellent care.”

Nevertheless, in his phone conversation with Melson last weekend, Chesteen said his colleague is expecting a long rehabilitation.