John Karl Fetterman is an American politician who is the Democratic nominee for the 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania. On May 13, 2022, John Fetterman suffered a severe stroke.
What Happened to John Fetterman?
Through a statement released through his campaign, John Fetterman’s doctors said that he had goe through a Cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscles become weakened and enlarged. Recently, John Fetterman gave his first one-on-one interview after the tragic incident, with NBC News. The interview took place on Friday at his home.
The interview made headlines as the candidate was seen not doing well as he had some difficulty speaking. In the interview, John Fetterman said that his stroke had changed everything but he also assured his voters that the setback will not affect his ability and efficiency to serve in the Senate if his voters chose him over his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz.
John Fetterman is a member of the Democratic party and he has also served as a Mayor of Braddock from 2006 to 2019. Since then, John has also served as the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania since. John Fetterman announced his candidacy in the 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania in 2021. John Fetterman won the Democratic nomination with more than 59% votes and he will be competing against Republican Mehmet Oz in the general elections.
John Fetterman, who is currently serving as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, resumed his position in his office in May itself but he was not seen making any public appearances for the campaign till mid-August. John Fetterman ensured in the interview that he will get better day by day and that by January he will be alright but his opponent Mr. Oz will still be a fraud at that time. The 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania will be held on November 8, 2022, as of now.
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Since the news of John Fetterman being affected by a stroke was made public through social media on May 15, people have started to question its effect on the candidate and his ability and fitness to carry on in such a responsible position.
John Fetterman has earlier said that he had been ignoring signs of his weak heart for years. Dr. Ramesh Chandra who treated Mr. John Fetterman also acknowledged the same and said that if Fetterman had taken care of and continued to take blood thinners, he would have not had a stroke. During the interview that John Fetterman gave to NBC News, John Fetterman is seen still struggling, and it is evident that he has not completely recovered from his stroke.
During the interview, there were instances where John Fetterman struggled to come up with words and situations where he stuttered occasionally. This showed that the recovery of the candidate from the stroke was not complete. The 53-year-old Democratic candidate also used the help of captions on a computer screen while answering oral questions.
The explanation that John Fetterman gave for this was that at times his hearing was not perfect and that using captioning could make the question clear to him. John Fetterman was very open about the challenges that he faced day-to-today. He said that now and then he forgot a word or he mushed two words together. He said that he used captioning so that he clearly understands what was being asked of him.
There was a situation during the interview where John Fetterman faced some trouble in articulating the word ‘empathetic’ where he pronounced it as ‘emphetic’. He said that he does not have any difficulty in finding or understanding the language but that he only thinks a little slower. He then pointed out the difficulty he faced with the word ‘empathetic’ as an example of the effect of the stroke he had. John Fetterman pointed out that after his stroke, he had a pacemaker with a defibrillator implanted to monitor and regulate his heartbeat. “This has changed how I communicate, even with my family”, says Fetterman.
There had been many allegations from the opposition side to John Fetterman about making his medical records public. It was also noted that John Fetterman’s doctors were also not allowed to take interviews. When asked about the concerns, John Fetterman replied that he had been fully transparent about his medical history and argued that he was not aware of any undisclosed medical symptoms he had.
According to John Fetterman, what is more, transparent than standing on a stage with more than 3,000 people as an audience, and delivering a speech without a teleprompter? Also, he stressed the fact that his doctors have certified that he is still fit and capable to contest in the election and serve the people.
As for his opponent Mr. Oz, who is a Turkish-American television presenter, he is accused of using his fame on television to sell ’fraud’ drugs to consumers. Both the candidates are scheduled to meet up for a debate on October 25, for which John Fetterman assured, “well, yeah, of course I am going to show up on the 25th.”