Stroke survivors speak out about John Fetterman's debate
Pennsylvania midterm Senate candidate John Fetterman: Stroke survivors speak out about scrutiny after Fetterman debate.
Watching John Fetterman during Tuesday night’s Pennsylvania Senate debate left Judy Gage of Jamesville, New York, feeling heartbroken.
“Because I know that he knows what he wanted to say,” said Gage, 71, who experienced a stroke in 2017. “He speaks differently now. That doesn’t mean that what’s up in his brain is any different than it was before, it’s just short circuiting when it comes out.”
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Fetterman had a stroke five months ago that has compromised his speech processing capabilities. During the debate in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, against Republican Mehmet Oz, Democratic nominee Fetterman stumbled at times.
For stroke survivors interviewed by NBC News, the test Fetterman faced was not just political, but deeply personal.
In him, they saw an avatar of their own struggles following a stroke: to recuperate physically, to communicate fluently and to coax from others an empathetic understanding that while some of their faculties may have been compromised, their intellects often remain unscathed.
Rating: 5