Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is recovering from the stroke he suffered earlier this year, according to a doctor’s note made public on Oct. 19.
Dr. Clifford Chen said he examined Fetterman during a follow-up visit on Oct. 14 and determined the official is “recovering well from his stroke and his health has continued to improve.”
A lung exam returned clear, Fetterman’s heart rate was regular, his limb strength was normal, and he spoke “intelligently without cognitive deficits,” the doctor added.
Chen has donated to Fetterman and other Democrats in the past, according to Federal Election Commission records.
The note, which the Fetterman campaign released, acknowledged that Fetterman is dealing with lingering issues from the stroke.
“Occasional words he will ’miss’ which seems like he doesn’t hear the word but it is actually not processed properly,” Chen said. “His communication is significantly improved compared to his first visit assisted by speech therapy which he has attended on a regular basis since the stroke.”
Dasha Burns, the NBC reporter who conducted the interview, said that “in small talk before the interview without captioning, it wasn’t clear he was understanding our conversation.”
After releasing the new note, Fetterman said in a statement, “Unfortunately for Dr. Oz, I’m ready to serve and continue to get better every single day.”
“On Friday, John went to his primary care physician for a check-up—and unfortunately for Dr. Oz, it was nothing but good news. By all measures John is making great progress in his recovery and doing everything he needs to do to live a healthy life,” added Rebecca Katz, an adviser to the Fetterman campaign.
Fetterman is the Democrat nominee for a U.S. Senate seat representing Pennsylvania. Dr. Mehmet Oz is the GOP nominee.
“That’s good news that John Fetterman’s doctor gave him a clean bill of health. The bad news is that John Fetterman still supports releasing convicted murderers out on the streets and has zero explanation for why he didn’t pay his taxes 67 times,” Rachel Tripp, a senior adviser for the Oz campaign, told The Epoch Times in an email. “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.”
Fetterman and Oz are set to debate on Oct. 25 for the first time. Fetterman has insisted on using a computer to translate audio to text. No other debates have been scheduled.
Early voting for the race has already started. The midterm election is slated to take place on Nov. 8.
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