Democratic Pennsylvania Senate nominee John Fetterman, the only Pennsylvanian in the race, released a letter from his personal doctor declaring, “He has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office,” CBS News reports.
Dr. Clifford Chen of UPMC said Fetterman still has some effects of a stroke he suffered five months ago, but is overall healthy. Fetterman uses a speech-to-text device at times due to an auditory processing difficulty, common among stroke patients, which short-circuits the brain’s processing of words.
“He spoke intelligently without cognitive deficits,” Chen wrote. “His speech was normal and he continues to exhibit symptoms of an auditory processing disorder which can come across as hearing difficulty. Occasional words he will ‘miss’ which seems like he doesn’t hear the word but it is actually not processed properly. His hearing of sound such as music is not affected.”
Chen reported Fetterman’s blood pressure was 116/82 and that he has no problem with walks of four miles. His heart and lung exam showed no problems, and Fetterman’s long-term heart issues are being managed with medication.