John Fetterman: New medical report says U.S. Senatorial candidate has 'no work restrictions'
Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman has released a new medical report that says he is ready for “full duty in public office” and recovering well from the May stroke that nearly took his life.
The physician’s update comes after GOP candidate Mehmet Oz and a number of media outlets have repeatedly called for greater transparency about Fetterman’s health as voters prepare to make a decision in the high-stakes contest.
Are there any lingering effects from the stroke?
The letter by Dr. Clifford Chen states that Fetterman’s physical exam on Friday was normal and explains some of the lingering effects of the stroke that sent the Democrat to the hospital just days before the Senate primary.
“He spoke intelligently without cognitive deficits,” Chen wrote in the letter. “His speech was normal and he continues to exhibit symptoms of an auditory processing disorder which can come across as hearing difficulty.”
The condition means Fetterman sometimes misses words spoken to him, and Chen wrote that while it can appear he hasn’t heard them, it’s actually that his brain hasn’t been able to process them. Fetterman's ability to hear music and other sounds wasn't impacted by the stroke, according to the doctor.
Fetterman has acknowledged his auditory processing difficulties and has relied on closed-captioning during media interviews since the stroke.
The letter also stated that Fetterman is exercising regularly, walks up to five miles without a problem and is taking a medication for his heart and to prevent strokes.
"Overall, Lt. Governor Fetterman is well and shows strong commitment to maintaining good fitness and health practices," Chen wrote.
Speech therapy crucial in improvement
Chen also said the candidate’s communication has “significantly improved” with the aid of speech therapy.
“John is already fully ready to serve, and he’s still getting better every single day,” the candidate’s senior adviser, Rebecca Katz, said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s not easy recovering from a stroke in public — let alone doing it while running in the top Senate race in the country — but John has worked hard to get here, and it shows.”
A representative of Oz’s campaign called the medical report “good news” but said it doesn’t lay to rest other concerns about Fetterman’s history of unpaid taxes or his work on the state pardons board to grant clemency to prisoners.
“And now that he apparently is healthy, he can debate for 90 minutes, start taking live questions from voters and reporters, and do a second debate now too,” said Rachel Tripp, a spokeswoman for Oz’s campaign.
There is only one planned debate before the election, and Oz has repeatedly pressed to lengthen it from an hour to 90 minutes or to add another candidate forum to the schedule. The Republican has also criticized Fetterman for holding rallies where he does not answer questions from attendees or the media.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Fetterman releases new medical report saying he's in good health
