{"id":2083758,"date":"2023-10-30T09:34:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T13:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-fetterman-says-he-thought-he-was-going-to-lose-to-dr-oz-after-suffering-stroke\/"},"modified":"2023-10-30T09:37:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T13:37:15","slug":"john-fetterman-says-he-thought-he-was-going-to-lose-to-dr-oz-after-suffering-stroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-fetterman-says-he-thought-he-was-going-to-lose-to-dr-oz-after-suffering-stroke\/","title":{"rendered":"John Fetterman feared defeat to Dr. Oz post-stroke."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjohn-fetterman-says-he-thought-he-was-going-to-lose-to-dr-oz-after-suffering-stroke%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2083758&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Sen. John\u2062 Fetterman&#8217;s Journey: Overcoming Adversity and Embracing Empathy<\/h2>\n<p>Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) faced a fierce battle in his Senate race against Republican candidate Mehmet \u200bOz. The criticism he endured following his stroke was \u200dlike a scorching blowtorch, leaving him uncertain\u2062 of victory.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;I \u2064didn\u2019t \u2063expect that I was going to win, \u2063to be\u200c honest, because we were \u200bgetting \u2014\u200c it was\u2062 a \u200dblowtorch. &#8216;You\u2019re a \u2018retard.\u2019 &#8216;You\u2019re\u2064 a vegetable.&#8217; \u200bCould you \u200dimagine if on the other end I was making fun\u200d of someone\u200c who had\u2062 a stroke? What the f*** is \u2014 what the f*** is wrong with you? You know?&#8221; Fetterman said \u2063in an interview\u200d with Men&#8217;s Health.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>The Triumph That Brought Unexpected Challenges<\/h3>\n<p>Despite winning the \u2063Senate seat \u200bby\u2063 5 points and flipping it blue for the first \u200btime in \u200cdecades, Fetterman found himself falling \u200dinto depression. The stroke he suffered in mid-May, coupled \u2063with relentless criticism from \u2062Oz&#8217;s\u200c campaign \u200cand other Republicans,\u200c took a toll \u200con his mental health.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;I didn\u2019t have any interest to be a senator after that. It\u2064 was rough,&#8221; Fetterman \u200dsaid.\u200c &#8220;You would think that, Hey, \u200cyou won,\u2063 and it was\u2062 good. But it wasn\u2019t. It was confusing and hurtful to my children, because they thought, You won. What\u2019s wrong with you? What\u2019s wrong with us?&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Depression, as Fetterman painfully\u200d realized, distorts \u200done&#8217;s perception even in\u2064 the\u200d face\u200c of victory. He\u200d felt like he had\u200c lost, despite his triumph. The senator candidly admitted that he was barely holding \u2063himself\u2062 together, relying\u200d on sheer determination to keep going.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;That\u2019s what\u2019s so f*****-up about \u2064depression. Even \u200bif you won,\u2062 it convinces you that you\u2019ve lost.\u2062 I was on borrowed time from after the\u200b debate and the \u2062Election Day. Put together\u2062 Scotch tape just to hold me together between \u200bthe last couple of weeks,&#8221; the senator\u2063 added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>A Defiant Stand and \u200ba Journey to Recovery<\/h3>\n<p>During a debate with Oz on October \u200c25, 2022, Fetterman faced demands to release his medical records. Although he initially hesitated, he ultimately decided to\u2062 confront the issue head-on,\u200c believing that transparency was crucial.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;There was a lot of &#8216;Show us your medical records. Show your medical records.&#8217; I said, &#8216;You want to see my medical records? Okay. We\u2019re going to do a debate.\u2064 You\u2019re going to see our \u2018medical records\u2019 right up there in front of you \u2014 in front of everybody.&#8217; \u200bYou can\u2019t show people much more about where you\u2019re at than you can by just getting out there,&#8221; Fetterman said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite knowing that the debate would be challenging, especially considering Oz&#8217;s background in television, Fetterman felt it was essential for people to understand his situation.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;This \u200bis what\u2019s been done to me. So I \u200cdid it, and I knew it was rough. And then I knew that\u2019s \u200cwhen something \u200cbroke, where I\u2062 knew that \u200bthe depression was a filled [free] fall. After that \u2063moment, that was all \u200bthe tinder that was accumulating, accumulating, accumulating,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Fetterman \u2063sought help\u200d and received six \u200cweeks of treatment for \u2062clinical depression \u200cat Walter Reed Hospital in February. He \u200bcredits this intervention for \u2063saving him from a dark path.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;So\u2064 thankfully I\u2019ve been able \u200bto be\u200d back to 100%, at \u2062least in terms of \u2063feeling good about everything,&#8221; he said.\u2064 &#8220;I\u2019m able \u2064to \u2062pay it forward and to visit with \u200bmy father all the time and be there and be there for the family of that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>A Transformed Senator, Ready to Serve<\/h3>\n<p>Fetterman \u200bnow sees himself as the \u200bsenator \u200bthat Pennsylvania truly deserves. \u200dGrateful for the opportunity to serve,\u2062 he believes that his battle with depression has made him a\u200b more effective and empathetic leader.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019m grateful for \u200bthe choice that they made to give me\u2063 the\u200d ability\u2063 to serve,\u200d and I\u200d think \u200dthe depression has made me a much more\u200c effective\u200b and\u2063 empathetic senator,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sen. John Fetterman&#8217;s journey is a testament to\u200b resilience and the power of overcoming adversity. He\u200d has emerged stronger, ready to fight\u2063 for\u200b the people of Pennsylvania with renewed determination and compassion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Click here to read more from \u2062The \u2064Washington Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How \u200ddid Fetterman&#8217;s transparency and resilience earn him praise \u200bfrom \u2064supporters?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Going to get to see them.&#8217; I went\u200b\u200b over an entire debate where I\u2063 don\u2019t have \u200bto answer \u2064one policy question. It was\u2062 the \u200dstupidest\u2063 move I\u2019ve ever made in\u2062 my political\u2063 career,&#8221; Fetterman admitted.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite the harsh criticism he faced, Fetterman&#8217;s transparency and resilience earned him praise\u2063 \u200cfrom supporters \u2064who admired his ability \u200dto face adversity\u2064 head-on. The senator&#8217;s journey to \u200drecovery\u2063 \u2062was not just a physical one, \u200dbut also an emotional and mental one.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;There\u2019s no playbook for \u200bdealing\u2064 with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosi-deflects-on-reporters-pointed-unborn-baby-question-im-a-big-supporter-of-roe-mother-of-five-children\/\" title=\"Pelosi Deflects On Reporter\u2019s Pointed \u2018Unborn Baby\u2019 Question: \u2018I\u2019m A Big Supporter Of Roe,\u2019 \u2018Mother Of Five Children\u2019\">personal health issue<\/a> on the campaign\u200b trail, particularly\u2062 when it\u2019s a life-altering issue\u2064 \u2063like \u200ca stroke.\u200d I wanted to represent the \u2062people \u200cthat were \u2063maybe going through \u2063the same thing\u2062 and fighting\u2064 battles in their own life. And\u200c maybe \u200bif I could do it, they can too,&#8221; Fetterman shared.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Embracing Empathy and Advocacy<\/h3>\n<p>Fetterman&#8217;s experience\u2063 with adversity and mental health challenges led to a deepened sense of empathy\u2063 and a determination to advocate \u200dfor those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-fetterman-says-he-thought-he-was-going-to-lose-to-dr-oz-after-suffering-stroke\/\" title=\"John Fetterman feared defeat to Dr. Oz post-stroke.\">facing similar \u200bstruggles<\/a>. He became an \u2064outspoken advocate \u200d\u200cfor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-backed-bill-would-decriminalize-marijuana\/\" title=\"Republican-Backed Bill Would Decriminalize Marijuana\">mental health initiatives<\/a> and policies,\u2062 aiming \u2062to address the stigmatization and lack of resources that many individuals face.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;I live\u2063 empathy now. I share everything that was \u2062really deeply personal, and it \u200cwasn\u2019t easy. But I felt like I\u200b had an \u200dobligation to because people \u200dthat I had never met felt \u2062so deeply connected to me based on \u2063the shared \u2062experience,&#8221; Fetterman emphasized.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Through \u2064his journey, Fetterman has demonstrated his resilience, strength, and commitment to turning \u200dpersonal hardship into \u2062a catalyst for change. His story serves \u2062as an \u2063inspiration \u200bfor others, showing that even \u200bin \u2062the face of adversity, there\u200b is hope for recovery and a path forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) anticipated defeat in his 2022 Senate race against Republican Mehmet Oz due to intense criticism following his stroke. He admitted, &#8220;I didn&#8217;t expect to win because the backlash was relentless. &#8216;You&#8217;re a&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2083760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2083758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2083758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2083760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2083758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2083758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2083758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}