John Fetterman releases updated medical report after Oz attacks

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman released an updated medical report from his doctor stating the candidate “is recovering well from his stroke.”
• Mehmet Oz had been urging Fetterman to release new medical records to see if he was fit for office.
• Reports say the doctor who wrote the medical report has donated more than $1,300 to Fetterman’s campaign in the past year.

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman “is recovering well from his stroke and his health has continued to improve,” according to a letter from Fetterman’s primary care doctor released by his campaign Wednesday.

Fetterman “has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office,” Dr. Clifford Chen wrote in the medical report. Fetterman’s rival, Republican nominee Mehmet Oz, has often suggested Fetterman’s current health condition leaves him unfit to serve.

Fetterman’s health has sparked contentious debate after he suffered a stroke in May, leaving him with lingering auditory processing issues. As a result, Fetterman requested to use a closed-caption monitor in his single debate with Oz on Oct. 25.

Those issues are improving, Fetterman’s doctor said in the letter, though not yet fully resolved.

At his appointment Friday, Fetterman “spoke intelligently without cognitive deficits. His speech was normal and he continues to exhibit symptoms of an auditory processing disorder which can come across as hearing difficulty,” Chen wrote.

“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.”

Overall, Fetterman’s communication is “significantly improved,” thanks to speech therapy sessions he has regularly attended since the stroke, Chen said in the note.

In an interview with NBC News earlier this month, Fetterman acknowledged the stroke “changes everything,” about his life, but affirmed that it would not impact his ability to serve in the Senate.

“I feel like I’m gonna get better and better, every day,” Fetterman said in the interview. “And by January, I’m going to be, you know, much better. And Dr. Oz is still going to be a fraud.”

Records from the Federal Election Commission show that the doctor who wrote the medical report — Dr. Clifford Chen — has donated more than $1,300 to Fetterman’s campaign in the past year.

Chen also made a number of donations to the Democratic National Committee, according to records. He has donated a total of $2,945 to Democrat candidates or committees in the past year.

Source: Fox News