Lt. Gov. Fetterman Says Stroke Nearly Killed Him & Urges People To ‘Listen To Your Body’

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, said he “almost died” during a recent stroke that took him off the campaign trail in the final days of the primary.

On Friday afternoon, Fetterman revealed for the first time that he was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2017 and given a treatment plan. He didn’t follow the plan, Fetterman admitted, and it led to his recent close call.

“I should have taken my health more seriously. The stroke I suffered on May 13 didn’t come out of nowhere,” Fetterman said in a statement. “Like so many others, and so many men in particular, I avoided going to the doctor, even though I knew I didn’t feel well. As a result, I almost died. I want to encourage others to not make the same mistake.”

Just days before the primary, Fetterman had a stroke and he went to a hospital in Lancaster, at the urging of his wife, and was found to be suffering from a stroke caused by a clot that stemmed from an irregular heart rhythm. He was implanted with a pacemaker with a defibrillator in the following days.

Fetterman’s campaign for U.S. Senate provided reporters on Friday with a letter from Dr. Ramesh Chandra, a cardiologist in the Pittsburgh area.

The letter stated Fetterman, a large man in both height and waist, first came to doctors in 2017 with swollen feet. He was diagnosed with an irregular heart rhythm and decreased heart pump.

Chandra wrote in his letter that Fetterman was prescribed medications and ordered to have “improved diet and exercise.” Fetterman, who became Pennsylvania’s 34th lieutenant governor in 2019, did not follow up with the doctor as recommended.

“John did not go to any doctor for 5 years and did not continue taking his medications,” the doctor wrote.

Fetterman was noted to have lost weight in the year or two before he became the state’s second high-ranking executive.

“I didn’t follow up,” Fetterman said. “I thought losing weight and exercising would be enough. Of course it wasn’t.”

“It’s not something I’m proud of, but it is something I hope that others can learn from. So please: listen to your body, and be aware of the signs. Because ignoring them—and avoiding the doctor because you might not like what they have to tell you—could cost you your life,” he added.

Fetterman had an appointment with his cardiologist on Thursday, his campaign said.

Chandra wrote Fetterman is doing better and his pacemaker and defibrillator are “working perfectly.”

“The prognosis I can give for John’s heart is this: if he takes his medications, eats healthy, and exercises, he’ll be fine. 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,’ the doctor wrote.

Fetterman has a follow up appointment with Chandra in six months.

Questions have lingered about why it was not known for days that the state’s lieutenant governor was ill in the hospital and whether his campaign was as transparent as it could have been.

Second Lady Gisele Fetterman took the candidate’s place at an election night party while her husband was in the hospital. Fetterman easily held back other Democrat’s vying for his party’s nomination in the May 17 primary.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and professor at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, had criticism of the campaign-released letter by Fetterman’s doctor.

“Not a great letter. First of all it’s not from the docs who treated Fetterman last month. It’s from someone who saw him in 2017 & not again until yesterday who basically says “Don’t blame me”. Doesn’t describe residual neuro deficit or why ICD was implanted during that admission,” he said in a Tweet.

Fetterman’s campaign didn’t released when the candidate will return to the campaign trail, but the candidate said he “can’t wait to get back.”

With a statewide recount underway, it is unclear as of Friday if Fetterman will face Dave McCormick or Mehmet Oz on the Republican ticket.

Below is Fetterman’s full statement:

“As my doctor said, I should have taken my health more seriously. The stroke I suffered on May 13 didn’t come out of nowhere. Like so many others, and so many men in particular, I avoided going to the doctor, even though I knew I didn’t feel well. As a result, I almost died. I want to encourage others to not make the same mistake. 

“Back in 2017, I had swollen feet and went to the hospital to get checked out. That’s when I learned I had a heart condition. Then, I didn’t follow up. I thought losing weight and exercising would be enough. Of course it wasn’t.

“It’s not something I’m proud of, but it is something I hope that others can learn from. So please: listen to your body, and be aware of the signs. Because ignoring them—and avoiding the doctor because you might not like what they have to tell you—could cost you your life. 

“I want to emphasize that this was completely preventable. My cardiologist said that if I had continued taking the blood thinners, I never would have had a stroke. I didn’t do what the doctor told me. But I won’t make that mistake again. Taking care of others is important but you must include yourself in there too.

“Doctors have told me I need to continue to rest, eat healthy, exercise, and focus on my recovery, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. It will take some more time to get back on the campaign trail like I was in the lead-up to the primary. It’s frustrating – all the more so because this is my own fault – but bear with me, I need a little more time. I’m not quite back to 100% yet, but I’m getting closer every day.  

“This race is so important for Pennsylvania and for the country. I’m going to be ready for it, and I can’t wait to get back on the trail.”

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