Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has shared a graphic photo of himself after a fall near his home, which left him hospitalized with a facial injury caused by a ventricular fibrillation flare-up. The image shows 20 stitches across his cheek, taken just two days after the incident.
Fetterman's office confirmed that he was out for a morning walk when he became light-headed, collapsed and struck his face, leading to the fall. His doctors had determined that the fall was triggered by an irregular heart rhythm that can cause dizziness or sudden loss of balance.
The senator was hospitalized at UPMC for observation and medication adjustments before being discharged and returning home. He shared a photo of himself with 20 stitches on social media X, writing "Twenty stitches later and a full recovery, I'm back home." Fetterman thanked doctors at UPMC for putting him back together and expressed gratitude to his supporters for their well-wishes.
The selfie quickly went viral, drawing sympathy and comments from both sides of the aisle. This incident highlights the renewed scrutiny over medical transparency on Capitol Hill, with politicians like Fetterman arguing that being candid about recovery and setbacks can help normalize discussions about mental and physical health in public life.
Fetterman has been an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness since suffering a debilitating stroke during his 2022 Senate campaign. He recently broke with most Democrats to vote with Republicans to reopen the federal government, sparking fresh attention to his health.
Fetterman's office confirmed that he was out for a morning walk when he became light-headed, collapsed and struck his face, leading to the fall. His doctors had determined that the fall was triggered by an irregular heart rhythm that can cause dizziness or sudden loss of balance.
The senator was hospitalized at UPMC for observation and medication adjustments before being discharged and returning home. He shared a photo of himself with 20 stitches on social media X, writing "Twenty stitches later and a full recovery, I'm back home." Fetterman thanked doctors at UPMC for putting him back together and expressed gratitude to his supporters for their well-wishes.
The selfie quickly went viral, drawing sympathy and comments from both sides of the aisle. This incident highlights the renewed scrutiny over medical transparency on Capitol Hill, with politicians like Fetterman arguing that being candid about recovery and setbacks can help normalize discussions about mental and physical health in public life.
Fetterman has been an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness since suffering a debilitating stroke during his 2022 Senate campaign. He recently broke with most Democrats to vote with Republicans to reopen the federal government, sparking fresh attention to his health.
This selfie is literally insane... I mean, I get it he's trying to show transparency but 20 stitches is just a lot 
! I can imagine how scary that must've been for him & his loved ones 
. Glad he's making a full recovery tho 
. As a parent myself, I'm always worried about our little ones having heart issues or seizures 
. This brings up some good points tho - we need to normalize talking about health stuff in public life 
. Can't say I blame him for wanting to break the silence around mental health awareness 
he's been through so much already like that stroke in 2022 was super scary and now this ventricular fibrillation thingy sounds super serious too... he's always been open about his mental health struggles but i didn't realize it could affect him physically like that 
anyway i'm glad he's getting the support he needs from his doctors and supporters 
twenty stitches later indeed, wish him a full recovery ASAP 
just kidding kinda... seriously though, glad he's back home tho, that was a pretty intense fall 
just kidding, I'm sure John knows exactly what's going on with his heart 
twenty stitches sounds kinda dramatic. Is he trying to draw attention away from some other issue or what? 
. And I have to say, it's pretty cool that he's being so open about his recovery process... maybe it'll inspire others to do the same 
and now he's sharing a pic of himself with 20 stitches on his cheek 
? Like, I get it, transparency is good and all, but must he share the graphic pics? 
It's just a bit too much info for me. And yeah, I feel bad for him that he had to go through that, but can't he just leave the stitches out of it? 
. Like, who wants a ventricular fibrillation flare-up? Not me, that's for sure 
. But at least he's being real about it, which is cool, right? He's not afraid to share his health struggles and stuff 
i feel bad for him tho, like he's already been through so much since that stroke in 2022... and now this ventricular fibrillation thingy 
like, isn't that what we want politicians to do? be honest about their struggles so we can support them better? 
i'm not even joking, it's amazing that he's being so open about his recovery and sharing his story with us all... it's like, so inspiring 
especially since he's been through something super tough like a stroke 
after being hospitalized and having those 20 stitches on his cheek. It shows he's not one to back down from sharing his struggles, which is a great way to break the stigma around mental & physical health issues. People need to see that even someone with the power to shape laws can get hurt, but still get back up 
sharing their own stories can help reduce stigma around mental & physical health issues. now that he's posted the pic of himself with stitches, people are talking more about it than just his politics 