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Sen. John Fetterman shared a graphic recovery photo Saturday — two days after a fall near his Pennsylvania home sent him to a Pittsburgh hospital with a facial injury caused by a ventricular fibrillation flare-up.
Fetterman, D-Pa., posted the close-up selfie on X on Nov. 15, showing a stitched gash across his cheek as he held an iced coffee.
“Twenty stitches later and a full recovery, I’m back home,” he wrote, thanking doctors at UPMC for “putting me back together” and supporters for their well-wishes. The new image comes just two days after Fetterman was hospitalized early Thursday, Nov. 13.
FETTERMAN’S BRUTALLY CANDID ACCOUNT OF BATTLING DEPRESSION, FEELING SUICIDAL, BEING THROWN OUT OF HIS HOUSE
The selfie shared to X showed Sen. Fetterman’s 20 stitches after a fall earlier this week in Pennsylvania. (@SenFettermanPA via X)
A spokesperson said the senator was out for a morning walk near his home in Braddock when he suddenly became light-headed, collapsed and struck his face. Doctors later determined the fall was triggered by a flare-up of ventricular fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that can cause dizziness or sudden loss of balance.
Fetterman remained at UPMC for observation and medication adjustments before being discharged and returning home. His office said he is “doing well” and recuperating with his wife, Gisele, and their children.
He tried to joke about the incident in a statement Thursday: “If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!”
FETTERMAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER FALL NEAR HOME IN PENNSYLVANIA
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., a Democrat who has been voting to open the government, leaves the chamber as the Senate works to bring the longest government shutdown in U.S. history to an end after a bipartisan compromise, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The stitched-up selfie quickly spread across social media Saturday, drawing a wave of sympathy, political commentary and fresh attention to Fetterman’s health — something he has addressed openly since suffering a debilitating stroke during his 2022 Senate campaign.
The fall comes as Fetterman has become one of the most outspoken lawmakers during the ongoing shutdown fight, breaking with most Democrats this week to vote with Republicans to reopen the federal government.
Sen. John Fetterman heads to a lunch meeting with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 15, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Members of both parties have faced high-profile health issues this year, prompting renewed scrutiny over medical transparency on Capitol Hill. Fetterman has argued that being candid about recovery and setbacks can help normalize discussions about mental and physical health in public life.
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He closed out Saturday’s post with a simple promise: “See you back in D.C.”
Digital has reached out to Fetterman’s office for further comment.
