PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman said Sunday he is recovering from a stroke that he endured four days before the state's primary election.
Fetterman and his wife, Giselle, shared a video message at Lancaster General Hospital explaining what happened.
"On Friday, I wasn't feeling well, so I went to the hospital to get checked out. I didn't want to go," he said. "I had a stroke that was caused by a clot from my heart being in an [atrial fibrillation] rhythm for too long."
His wife saw the symptoms and got the 52-year-old to the hospital.
Doctors at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital were able to "quickly and completely remove the clot, reversing the stroke," he said.
Fetterman said he had no cognitive damage and is "well on his way to a full recovery." He believes he will be able to return to the campaign trail, but after taking time to rest. He was still recovering in the hospital Sunday.
Fetterman's team said Monday that they will still host an election night party in the Pittsburgh area with supporters on Tuesday, but Fetterman will not be in attendance, as he will stay in the hospital.
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Atrial fibrillation is when there is irregular beating in the upper chambers of the heart. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is the cause of 1 in 7 strokes.
Pennsylvania's 2022 U.S. Senate Democratic primary is on Tuesday, along with numerous other federal and state races.
Fetterman’s opponents, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and Congressman Conor Lamb, both tweeted that they would be praying for Fetterman and his family. Similar well-wishes were posted by top Republicans running for Senate: Mehmet Oz, Dave McCormick and Kathy Barnette.