John Fetterman Tears Up in Senate Hearing Recounting Insults During Stroke Recovery

[Jilly_in_VA]

In a Thursday hearing on disability access held by the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) teared up while recounting his experiences after a stroke last year impacted his ability to process language. While speaking before the committee, Fetterman held up his phone and showed the transcription app he uses, explaining that it “allows me to fully participate in this meeting and conversations with my children and interacting with my staff.”

“I had a stroke about 18 months ago. I have lost my ability to fully process language,” Fetterman said. “I like to think I was an empathetic person, truly. But since that happened, I’ve raised to a whole different kind of level.”

While audibly choking up, the senator continued: “Because I live in a political environment, I was ridiculed and made fun of, because I wasn’t able to process things sometimes.”

On the campaign trail and since taking office, Fetterman has faced personal, ableist lines of attack from both right-wing and mainstream media. Last October, when referring to Fetterman’s use of captions to give interviews, a CBS journalist asked, “Will Pennsylvanians be comfortable with someone representing them who had to conduct a TV interview this way?” Around this same time, Tucker Carlson (who was then still at Fox News) cruelly claimed that Fetterman was “brain damaged” and could “barely speak.” Fetterman’s campaign and doctors had explained that his comprehension had not been impaired and he simply struggles with auditory processing.

https://jezebel.com/john-fetterman-tears-up-in-senate-hearing-recounting-in-1850865196

I get it, Jawn, I do. I have a son on the spectrum with some of the same problems, and my late son was dysgraphic and dyslexic, so I get it.

[peacebuzzard]

1. I have a sister who suffered a one time series of strokes due to high fever as an infant;

she was traveling on a cargo ship as a military dependent and there was no medical assistance.
there was no help for her at the time. She survived and the subsequent health issues only appeared later in life.
No one could identify her multiple handicaps.
It has been a series of failures her whole life.
Today she is over 70 and has been classified as disabled for decades.

I understand a little about overcoming physical hardships and the discrimination involved. John Fetterman is a hero to try to help democracy as he struggles with personal issues.

I

[LuckyCharms]

2. I love this man. n/t

[cyclonefence]

3. We talk about under-representation

of minorities (and, in the case of women, majorities) in Congress, and I am proud to have John Fetterman there speaking up for people with disabilities, who may be the most under-represented set of Americans ever.

God bless John Fetterman. I love him, too.

[erronis]

4. We all have differing abilities and disabilities. Those that are drawn to the (r)epuglicons

seem to have a true deficit in empathy and emotional intelligence (let alone just raw intelligence.)

[calimary]

5. He's a role model for people who may have afflictions

but who shouldn’t be benched if they can still contribute.

He’s clearly found ways to cope with what’s ailed him. He’s a sympathetic character with a mind toward the value and virtue of helping people BECAUSE of where he is. His job. His position. And the clout and influence and power that comes with it. If he’s functioning as normally as he seems able to, and he’s serving the greater good, then he looks like a keeper to me.

[appalachiablue]

6. Fetterman, a wonderful and rare man who deserves much respect for his abilities,

contributions and public service. We're very fortunate.

[FakeNoose]

7. I don't believe Sen. Fetterman is dyslexic

However he might have the "hearing" version of dyslexia. When someone is dyslexic they read a line of text and it might be jumbled or backwards to them. They can still read but it take s a little longer to process the meaning.

I believe John Fetterman has experienced something similar, not with reading, but with hearing. It takes him longer to process the words that are spoken to him and to form an answer. It's not mental illness, but I guess it's a form of impairment. With training techniques and with practice, he's learning to overcome the problem.

For this reason he was quite stressed about participating in the debate during his Senatorial campaign. I think he did OK in the debate despite a few errors.

[NowISeetheLight]

8. Advocate

Fetterman is the perfect advocate for disability access. Someone who has been there.

[keep_left]

9. Both Don Jr and Emerald Robinson (NewsMax, LindellTV) called Fetterman a "vegetable"...

...on their social media accounts after the news reports of his stroke.

[TSExile]

10. He had me at crudite!!

He still has me. He's a good egg. This man is a giant teddy bear, exuding empathy and kindness but still taking no crap. God bless him!!

[dickthegrouch]

11. On his worst days Rep Fetterman shows more comprehension

Of complex issues than any current republican.
We should all wish to be as capable as him after a stroke. (Or even before one (boblurt)).