No stranger to dealing with depression through his life, Sen. John Fetterman decided to check himself into a hospital for clinical depression treatment.
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.
“On Monday, John was evaluated by Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician of the United States Congress,” Jentleson said. “Yesterday, Dr. Monahan recommended inpatient care at Walter Reed. John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis.”
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.”
“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,” Gisele wrote in a follow-up tweet.
Fetterman’s hospital stay comes a week after spending two nights at George Washington University Hospital for feeling lightheaded. This had raised alarm bells since Fetterman had previously suffered a stroke in May during his high-profile Senate campaign against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Following his stroke last May, Fetterman revealed he had a heart condition in a letter from his cardiologist that was released to the public. The letter said that Fetterman’s stroke was caused by atrial fibrillation and that he also has a condition called cardiomyopathy, which led doctors to implant a pacemaker.
“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.”
Fetterman confirmed he had avoided going to the doctor, even though he knew he wasn’t feeling well. As a result he almost died and wanted to encourage others not to make the same mistake as he did.
Fetterman’s stroke remained in the headlines throughout his highly publicized Senate race, as media outlets zoned in on his slurred speech and difficulty hearing, both long-term effects from 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, even mocking it at times.
Fetterman was ultimately successful in the race, defeating Trump-backed Oz in the November election, becoming the first Democrat to win the seat since 1962.
