According to his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, just days after being hospitalized for feeling “lightheaded,” the newly elected Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) checked himself into the hospital to receive treatment for yet another malady - “clinical depression.” Last week after he “began feeling lightheaded, “ the senator was hospitalized, At the time, Fetterman’s communication director, Joe Cavello said that “initial tests did not show evidence of a new stroke” but that more tests would be run.
To receive treatment for clinical depression, last night, Senator Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Reportedly, he has experienced depression off and on throughout his life. However, it only became severe in recent weeks. Little wonder, he now faces the pressure of being a sitting Senator.
Fetterman was evaluated by Dr. Brian P. Monahan, who recommended inpatient care at Walter Reed. On a voluntary basis, he agreed, and is receiving treatment. The doctors at Walter Reed, after examining him, reported that Fetterman is getting the care he needs.
In a pair of tweets, on Thursday, following the news of her husband health issue, the senator’s wife, Gisele Fetterman, said-
“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,” [asking everyone to please respect their family’s privacy during the] “difficult time.”
- Gisele Fetterman
The senator suffered a stroke, on the campaign trail, last May, before clinching the Democrat nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. However as previously reported by Breitbart News-
“Fetterman [on the campaign trail] routinely appeared disoriented in public appearances throughout the campaign, regularly mispronouncing words and confusing sentences. After a disastrous interview with NBC Nightly News, reporter Dasha Burns drew criticism for noting how Fetterman’s stroke impaired him in a variety of ways, from his comprehension to his basic speech, to the point of him needing a closed captioning system during their in-person interview.”
“Fetterman’s campaign required closed captioning technology for this interview to essentially read our questions as we asked them,” she told fellow reporter Lester Holt. “In small talk before the interview, without captioning, it wasn’t clear he was understanding our conversation.”
He went on to win the election against his Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz, in November, despite his poor debate performance. Despite his victory at the poles, Fetterman continues to be afflicted in his recovery from the stroke, with residual physical and occupational dysfunctions, that he continues to use both in the office and on the senate floor, such as closed captioning as well as large screen dialogue, preprinted on his screen to stay focused. And now we discover he has a life-long history of depression. What’s next?
He has already reportedly missed 8 of 24 votes since taking office. With his fellow Senator, Bob Casey J., who is out sick related to prostate cancer, one asks - who is minding the store in Pennsylvania? While disabilities are a protected part of American culture by law – why is it that cognitive issues and psychiatric dysfunctions are permitted to be tolerated in those in charge in public office? Being a Senator is a clearly taxing occupation.
Perhaps, Joe Biden is leading the way for others with cognitive struggles. Fetterman should have been forced to clearly test out, to remain in the running – especially if his health history included clinical depression. This diagnosis can have many complexities and a multitude of complications. Again, what is next?
While America can be sympathetic to his physical and mental issues, Fetterman, as well as the American people, would have been better served for him to face full recovery, not add stress to his already challenged mind and body by serving in the Senate, and run in the next race. Of course, he is wished well in his recovery, but how much is the stress of his new job, now delaying his healing process?
There is no shame in saying - not now. However, it’s hard to respect someone who obviously presses the envelope to his own demise, leaving his constituents to wait out the time, he may need now to recover and go largely unrepresented.
Fetterman needs to demonstrate some responsibility to the people of the State of Pennsylvania, placing their actual needs, above his desire to sit in the Senate. They need a totally functional Senator, not someone still ill and recovering.
“Common sense is not so common.”
-Voltaire,