Office of Sen. John Fetterman released an update on his health Monday, about two weeks after the Pennsylvania Democrat was hospitalized for treatment of clinical depression.
Fetterman spokesman Joe Calvello said the senator “remains on the road to recovery,” although healing “will be a weeks-long process.”
“John is doing well, working with great doctors, and staying on the road to recovery,” Calvello said. “He visits staff and families every day, and keeps his staff updated on Senate business and news.”
Fetterman’s team is moving fast and working hard for Pennsylvanians, including opening new offices across the state, Calvello said.
“We understand the strong interest in John’s status and especially appreciate the flood of wishes,” he continued. “However, as I said this is going to be a process that will take several weeks and while we will keep people updated as the process progresses, that’s all we have to provide with an update.”
Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center earlier this month, and doctors attending Congress recommended he receive inpatient treatment. Adam Jentleson, a top aide to Fetterman, said on February 16 that the senator “has had depression on and off throughout his life, only getting worse in the last few weeks.”
Fetterman received a lot of support on both sides of the aisle because he knew he needed medical treatment for his mental health. The senator belongs to a demographic — middle-aged white men — that sees one of the highest rates of suicide in the country and the lowest rates of seeking treatment.
The freshman lawmaker won a tight race last year for a Pennsylvania Senate seat against TV doctor and Republican candidate Mehmet Oz, who is notorious for medical misinformation, including treatment for depression.
Last year, Fetterman was hospitalized after suffering a stroke caused by atrial fibrillation. The stroke caused hearing loss, which the senator’s political opponents used to attack him. He was hospitalized again earlier this year after experiencing dizziness, and was discharged after tests ruled out another stroke.
“After what he’s been through this past year, there’s probably no one more willing to talk about his own health than John,” the senator’s wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, tweeted as he began receiving mental health care. “I’m so proud of her for getting the help she needs to get the treatment she needs.”