Sen. John Fetterman.Photo: Matt Rourke/AP/Shutterstock
Sen.John Fettermanhas checked himself into a hospital to “receive treatment for clinical depression,” his office said Thursday.
The freshman Pennsylvania senator, 53, was admitted at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday night, chief of staff Adam Jentleson announced in a statement.
“While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” it reads.
Fetterman’s wife,Gisele Barreto Fetterman, shared her own statement on Twitter, writing: “After what he’s been through in the past year, there’s probably no one who wanted to talk about his own health less than John. I’m so proud of him for asking for help and getting the care he needs.”
In a follow-up tweet, Gisele wrote: “This is a difficult time for our family, so please respect our privacy. For us, the kids come first. Take care of yourselves. Hold your loved ones close, you are not alone.”
The hospital stay comes a week after Fetterman spent two nights at George Washington University Hospital for"feeling lightheaded"— an incident that raised alarm bells, as Fetterman previouslysuffered a strokein May during his high-profile Senate campaign against RepublicanDr. Mehmet Oz.
“If he takes his medications, eats healthy, and exercises, he’ll be fine,” his cardiologist wrote. “If he does what I’ve told him, and I do believe that he is taking his recovery and his health very seriously this time, he should be able to campaign and serve in the U.S. Senate without a problem.”
In astatement accompanying the letter, Fetterman acknowledged he had “avoided going to the doctor, even though I knew I didn’t feel well.”
“As a result, I almost died,” he said in the statement. “I want to encourage others to not make the same mistake.”
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Fetterman’s stroke remained in the headlines throughout his highly publicized Senate race, as media outlets zoned in on hisslurred speech and difficulty hearing— bothlong-term effectsfrom a stroke, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine — which made some voters nervous as time went on. The Oz campaign also seized on the health issue, evenmocking it at times.
Fetterman was ultimately successful in the race, defeating Trump-backed Oz in the November election, becoming thefirst Democrat to win the seatsince 1962.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
