CLOSE CALL

Fetterman Admits He Avoided Heart Treatment Then ’Almost Died‘

The Democratic Senate candidate was diagnosed with heart trouble in 2017 but stopped taking his meds and never followed up—until his stroke last month.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke days before winning the Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat, revealed Friday that he ignored a diagnosed heart condition for five years.

As a result, Fetterman admitted, he “almost died” last month. “I didn’t do what the doctor told me. But I won’t make that mistake again,” he said in a statement.

The new details inexplicably came more than two weeks after Fetterman’s hospitalization. They were also made public just hours before the primary contest between Republicans in the Senate race appeared to be resolved with Dr. Mehmet Oz, a retired heart surgeon, set to be the candidate who will now run against a heart patient.

Fetterman’s campaign released a letter from cardiologist Ramesh Chandra that said the politician came to him in 2017 complaining of swollen feet and was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat that can cause blood clots, and decreased heart-pumping action.

Chandra said he prescribed medications, recommended a better diet and exercise, and asked Fetterman to return for a follow-up in the coming months.

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

The atrial fibrillation caused the May 13 stroke, but doctors also found that Fetterman has cardiomyopathy, which is essentially a weak heart muscle, that required a pacemaker.

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

In his own statement, Fetterman, 52, 'fessed up that he had put his life at risk.

“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,” he said.

Oz, the Trump-endorsed celebrity doctor who has been criticized for promoting pseudoscience, wished Fetterman a fast recovery when news of his stroke broke last month.

“I have cared for atrial fibrillation patients and witnessed the miracles of modern medicine in the treatment of strokes, so I am thankful that you received care so quickly,” he said.

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Tracy Connor

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