Joe Calvello, spokesman for Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), posted an update on the Senator’s condition Monday, saying he is “doing well” but is expected to remain in the hospital for weeks. Unlike when Fetterman had his stroke last May, no photos or video of Fetterman were provided.
This is the first update on Fetterman’s condition since he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on February 15 for treatment of clinical depression.
A gaunt-looking Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) at the State of the Union address, February 7, 2023, a day before he was hospitalized for lightheadedness, screen image.
The absence of official information has led to rumors and speculation about Fetterman, however it was credibly reported this weekend that Fetterman was hospitalized because he was not able to sufficiently feed or hydrate himself, which led to his first hospitalization on February 8 for lightheadedness.
It should be noted that nearly every official statement on Fetterman’s health since the stroke last May has been deceptive, misleading or outright false.
Calvello’s statement:
“Re Sen. Fetterman: We don’t have a lot to update folks with since there’s no real news to report except that John is doing well, working with the wonderful doctors, and remains on a path to recovery…John is visiting with staff and family daily, and his staff are keeping him updated on Senate business and news. Our team is moving full speed ahead and working tirelessly for the people of Pennsylvania. Just last week we opened a new office in Erie and will be opening more…We understand the intense interest in John’s status and especially appreciate the flood of well-wishes. However, as we have said this will be a weeks-long process and while we will be sure to keep folks updated as it progresses, this is all there is to give by way of an update.”
Re Sen. Fetterman:
We don’t have a lot to update folks with since there’s no real news to report except that John is doing well, working with the wonderful doctors, and remains on a path to recovery.
— Joe Calvello (@the_vello) February 27, 2023
We understand the intense interest in John’s status and especially appreciate the flood of well-wishes. However, as we have said this will be a weeks-long process and while we will be sure to keep folks updated as it progresses, this is all there is to give by way of an update.
— Joe Calvello (@the_vello) February 27, 2023
Last week CNN reported that Fetterman was hospitalized because he could not take care of himself (excerpt):
“In someone who has pre-existing depression, it is possible that they may be more treatment resistant and have a history of failing medications. So as a result, they may require more aggressive treatment that can take several weeks and even into several months, depending on how they present,” said Dr. Daniel Bober, a psychiatrist in Hollywood, Florida.
“In someone who’s already had depression even before their stroke, this puts him at much greater risk and requires much more aggressive treatment,” Bober said.
Fetterman’s symptoms for depression included weight loss and loss of appetite, a source familiar with the matter said. He was not suicidal, the source said. His lack of eating and drinking water contributed to lightheadedness. He was hospitalized earlier this month in Washington, DC, after feeling lightheaded. His office said he had not had another stroke.
“Generally, the reason that someone presents to a hospital for a psychiatric condition like depression is because either they are acutely suicidal or they have been deemed unable to take care of themselves. And when I say unable to take care of themselves, I mean, their basic needs – food, hydration, hygiene – are all things that they’re required to do on a daily basis, and they are unable to do this due to the severity of their depression,” Bober said.
One reason to treat depression in the hospital is that care can happen faster. Doctors can try different approaches and pivot if something isn’t working, Cronenwett said.
Another reason is it’s safe.
“People with depression sometimes have trouble with activities of daily living. They may shut down or may stop eating. The hospital can support them in their activities of daily living. Some people may have thoughts about suicide, and the hospital can be a place of safety, while they are recovering,” Cronenwett said.
Last May, just days after suffering a debilitating stroke, Fetterman posted a video and statement:
My full statement here. pic.twitter.com/1rRXDMBiu0
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) May 15, 2022
Fetterman’s wife Gisele, who stayed at home with their three children in Braddock, Pennsylvania when he went to the Senate last month, finally showed up at Walter Reed to comfort her husband last Thursday after fleeing the country with the couple’s children for a ziplining adventure in Canada at Niagara Falls.
Gisele posted last Friday about the road trip.
We drove straight into … Canada (and lovely Buffalo NY) (Pro Tip: always have passports ready just in case you have to run away ) We talked about lots of hard things and how we will all have to face hard things. About the need to be gentle … with all and with ourselves. pic.twitter.com/0PWQXHrbqT
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) February 24, 2023
We also talked about how joy and fun can and must still exist, even when someone we love is in pain. And tomorrow? Who knows. Will try all over again.
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) February 24, 2023
This tweet from Thursday was also posted from Walter Reed:
Day by day pic.twitter.com/qgHTvqS7l0
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) February 24, 2023
While Gisele has been visiting her husband at Walter Reed, she has taken time to block her critics on Twitter, this writer included.
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) February 25, 2023
Gisele Fetterman will have at least half of Twitter blocked by midnight.
— Meara (@MillennialOther) February 25, 2023
UPDATE: Adam Jentleson, Fetterman’s chief of staff, retweeted a supporter on February 16 who dunked on Ben Domenech after Jentleson announced Fetterman’s hospitalization for a stroke. Domenech correctly asserted that Fetterman was hospitalized because he was a danger to himself. The supporter boasted that “No one was “fooled” into thinking Fett was healthy.”
Domenech, “John Fetterman hospitalized because he’s so depressed he’s a danger to himself. Everyone who manufactured this circumstance should think on their sins. So basically all of MSNBC.”
AliceFromQueens, “PA voters, not MSNBC, elected Fetterman He barely campaigned & all saw him struggle badly in the debate w Oz (who, contrary to dumb consensus, performed well that night). No one was “fooled” into thinking Fett was healthy. He won by a big purple-state margin bc voters love him”
More important than running the senator’s D.C. office and overseeing the state offices, a chief’s job is to take care of his boss. Something Jentleson utterly failed at. After just six weeks in office he let his boss get so overwhelmed that it wasn’t until he was hospitalized twice that he acknowledged how sick Fetterman is.
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