Sen. is recovering from a debilitating stroke last year. John Fetterman (D-PA), who is being treated for clinical depression, is likely to be hospitalized for “a few weeks,” NBC News correspondent Ryan Nobles reported on the Today show Friday morning. . Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Wednesday night, according to his office.
In the State of the Union address, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), February 7, 2023, screenshot.
Fetterman was hospitalized for several days after attending the State of the Union address for tests after reporting feeling a mild headache. All tests were reported negative, and Fetterman returned to work in the Senate, where he attended a committee hearing Wednesday:
Excerpts from the NBC report:
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Fetterman, 53, will remain in inpatient care for clinical depression for “a few weeks,” a senior aide told NBC News.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., “checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be treated for clinical depression,” said his chief of staff, Adam Gentleson. @Rianobles Latest reports. pic.twitter.com/NOfB2og0aL
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 17, 2023
Fetterman’s wife, Gisele, issued a statement Thursday asking for privacy.
This is a difficult time for our family, so please respect our privacy. For us, children come first.
Take care of yourself. Hold your loved ones close, you are not alone.❤️
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) February 16, 2023
Both of Pennsylvania’s senators are out sick, leaving the Senate tied 49-49 until one of them returns. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) is recovering from surgery Tuesday for prostate cancer. The Senate is out next week for a holiday break for Washington’s birthday and is scheduled to be in session next week.
TGP reported in a New York Times article last week that Fetterman suffered “serious mental health challenges” that had taken an “emotional toll” on him (quote):
…Fetterman, 53, a 6-foot-8, tattooed and goateed Democrat from Pennsylvania who suffered a fatal stroke last May and won one of the most competitive seats in November’s midterm elections, was never going to blend in seamlessly. In the marbled corridors of Congress.
But his adjustment to serving in the Senate has been made more difficult by the struggles of his recovery, which has made the transition extraordinarily challenging due to physical impairment and serious mental health challenges — even with accommodations. Help him adapt.
“What you have to do to recover from this is to do as little as possible,” said Adam Gentleson, chief of staff. Instead, Fetterman “was forced to do as much as possible — he had to get back on the campaign trail. It’s hard to pat yourself on the back.”
…a recent health scare convinced his staff that Fetterman needed a better plan to take care of himself, both physically and emotionally.
Fetterman declined to be interviewed for this story. But aides and aides describe his introduction to the Senate as a difficult period, filled with unfamiliar duties taxing someone still recovering: meetings with constituents, attending caucus and committee meetings, appearing at White House events and in public in the state. Union address, plus appears in Pennsylvania.
… The trial issues are inconsequential; They usually get worse when they are in stressful or unfamiliar situations. While it’s bad, Fetterman describes it as trying to make a teacher’s muffled voice in a “Peanuts” cartoon, whose words are never understood.
The stroke — after which he was implanted with a pacemaker and defibrillator — took a less obvious but real mental toll on Fetterman. It’s been less than a year since the stroke transformed him from a man with the large stature that connotes masculinity, a central part of his political identity, to a physically altered version of himself, and he’s still frustrated at times that he’s not back. To the man he once was. They need to be aware of the fact that without taking the recommended rest during a campaign, they may be permanently withdrawn. And he continues to push himself in ways that people close to him worry are harmful.
“It’s stressful, having to go through that experience in one of the most high-profile Senate races in the country,” Gentleson said.
NBC’s Ryan Nobles said Fetterman’s staff said the prospect of his resignation “has never been discussed and is not on the table.”
