(WHNT) — District 1 Senator Tim Melson’s family says he is out of the ICU following a cardiac arrest during a trip to South Korea.

Melson, who represents all of Lauderdale County, a portion of Limestone County and a small section of Madison County, suffered from a cardiac event last week while on a trip in South Korea. Since then he has been recovering at a hospital in Seoul, South Korea, where, according to his family, he has made good progress.

The state senator’s brother, Dr. Gil Melson, said in a statement that Senator Melson is “off all life support” and is no longer in the ICU.

“Tim is now able to sit upright in a wheelchair and converse with the medical staff and his family. He has even made a few telephone calls home,” Dr. Gil Melson said. “We are now able to contemplate transport options for the long journey home in the coming days. On behalf of Tim and all the Melson family, I thank everyone for their prayers. We believe they have made all the difference in Tim’s remarkable recovery process.”

Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris says that Melson and other legislators were on an economic development trip to South Korea to find STEM teachers for the Black Belt.