Washington –
A spokesman for Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman says the Democrat is “on the road to recovery” after being admitted to the hospital for clinical depression earlier this month, and he’s still on the road to recovery. He is expected to leave the Senate for a week.
Fetterman’s communications director, Joe Calvello, said in a statement Monday afternoon, “We understand the strong interest in John’s situation and would like to express our special appreciation.” As we said this will be a multi-week process, we will keep you updated on our progress, but this is the only update we can provide.”
Fetterman was being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and checked in on February 15 as he was suffering from the after effects of a stroke. At the time, his office said he had been experiencing depression “sometimes throughout his life,” but it had only gotten more serious in recent weeks. Monahan recommended hospitalization after an evaluation, his office said at the time.
Fetterman, 53, suffered a stroke last May while campaigning in a tough Senate election against Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz. He won his November election and took his oath of office on January 3, giving the Democrats an extra seat in the Senate and his 51-49 majority.
One of Fetterman’s main sequelae of the stroke is auditory processing impairment. This disorder prevents someone from speaking fluently and quickly processing conversations into something meaningful. To manage it, Fetterman uses a device that transcribes the words spoken in conversations, conferences and congressional hearings in real time.
Post-stroke depression is common, affecting one in three stroke patients, and can be treated with antidepressant medication and counseling, doctors say.
Another Pennsylvania senator, Democrat Bob Casey, has also been out of office for several weeks after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer. said he would return to work on
