>>> A RARE ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW WITH THE DEMOCRAT WHO WANTS TO
BE PENNSYLNIA'S NEXT SENATOR. JOHN FETTERMAN CURRENT
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR USED CLOSED CAPTIONING TO HELP HIS AUDITORY
PROCESSING. FETTERMAN SAYS HE DOES NOT
BELIEVE THE STROKE HE SUFFERED IN MAY WILL IN ANY WAY UNDERMINE
HIS ABILITY TO SERVE IN THE SENATE.
BUT HE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THE LINGERING EFFECTS.
>> IT CHANGES EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS CHANGED.
ESPECIALLY EARLY AFTER THE STROKE, THE ABILITY TO REALLY
UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY WHAT I'M BEING HEARD IS -- BUT IT GETS
MUCH, MUCH BETTER WHERE I TAKE IN A LOT BUT TO BE PRECISE I USE
CAPTIONING SO THAT'S REALLY THE MAJOR CHALLENGE.
>> CNN'S CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT SANJAY GUPTA IS
HERE WITH MORE. SO LUCKY TO HAVE YOU.
YOU'RE A BRAIN SURGEON AND UNDERSTAND THIS SPACE BETTER
THAN JUST ABOUT ANYBODY. EXPLAIN WHAT YOU SAW, THE
QUESTIONS OR THE ANSWERS IT GAVE YOU.
>> YEAH, IT'S REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU REALLY GET INSIGHT
INTO HOW A STROKE CAN AFFECT A PARTICULAR PART OF THE BRAIN AND
HOW PEOPLE CAN RECOVER FROM THAT AS WELL.
JUST SHOW YOU HERE, AGAIN, THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING BUT A
BRAIN MODEL, LEFT SIDE OF THE BRAIN IS TYPICALLY WHERE PEOPLE
HAVE SPEECH SORT OF RESIDE IN THEIR BRAINS AND SPEECH MEANS
YOUR ABILITY TO SPEAK AND WRITE BUT ALSO TO UNDERSTAND SPOKEN
AND WRITTEN WORDS. IT'S ALL REFERRED TO AS SPEECH.
WHAT YOU SEE IS HE SEEMS TO HAVE DIFFICULTY HEARING SPOKEN WORD
AND PROCESSING THAT. SO AS A RESULT, THAT'S LOCATED
HERE IN THIS PART OF THE BRAIN, BUT BACK HERE IS WHERE YOU HAVE
YOUR VISUAL PART OF YOUR BRAIN. HE SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO READ THE
WORDS, UNDERSTAND THEM AND THEN RESPOND, SO HE'S SORT OF
COMPENSATING, IF YOU WILL, REALLY FASCINATING TO SEE BY
READING THIS, YOU KNOW, IN CLOSED CAPTIONING VERSUS HEARING
IT BUT HE RESPONDS QUICKLY AND I THINK THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.
SOMETIMES HE MIGHT MASH UP A WORD OR TWO, THAT'S HOW HE
DESCRIBED IT BUT WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT, JOHN, IS THAT WHEN WE
THINK ABOUT STROKES, A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE COMMINGLE WHAT IS A
FUNCTIONAL DEFICIT, AUDITORY HEARING PROCESS PROBLEM WITH
COGNITION. HE DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A
PROBLEM WITH COGNITION, HE'S RESPONDING QUICKLY AND
SUPPOSEDLY TOOK A COUPLE OF TESTS WHERE HE PERFORMED WELL ON
THOSE TESTS. WE HAVEN'T SEEN THE RESULTS OF
THAT. WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OF THESE
MEDICAL RECORDS BUT OVERALL YOU COULD HEAR HIS FLUENCY OF SPEECH
AND THINGS LIKE THAT SO NOT TO COMMINGLE COGNITION WITH
FUNCTIONAL DEFICIT, THAT PEOPLE DO RECOVER FROM IN THE FORM OF A
STROKE. >> SO IN TERMS OF HIS ABILITY TO
SERVE IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE, CAN HE UNDERSTAND THE
TOUGH NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE BEFORE HE CASTS A VOTE?
CAN HE UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITIES OF A MAJOR HEALTH
BILL OR THE MAJOR COMPLEXITIES OF A TAX BILL IF HE HAS TO
CONDUCT A VOTE. CAN HE READ IT AS OPPOSED TO
GETTING A BRIEFING FROM THE STAFF.
IS THAT KIND OF THE ISSUE HERE. >> I THINK SO.
I THINK THAT'S IT. HE DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A
PROBLEM WITH UNDERSTANDING, COMPREHENSION, IT IS A
PROCESSING ISSUE THAT SEEMS TO BE THE CASE, AND, AGAIN, THIS IS
BASED ON LOOKING AT THESE INTERVIEWS, WE HAVE NOT SEEN HIS
MEDICAL RECORDS BUT THAT'S WHAT IT DOES LOOK LIKE, A PROCESSING
ISSUE VERSUS A COMPREHENSION ISSUE.
IT MIGHT NEED TO BE PRESENTED DIFFERENTLY, WRITTEN DOWN VERSUS
SPOKEN BUT HE COULD RECOVER IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO IMPROVE
AUDITORY PROCESSING AS WELL. HE'S FIVE MONTHS OUT FROM HIS
STROKE. TYPICALLY PEOPLE WILL HAVE
RECOVERY, YOU KNOW, SORT OF SIX MONTHS TO 18 MONTHS THEY CAN
EVEN CONTINUE TO RECOVER. SO WHATEVER DEFICITS HE HAS NOW
IN TERMS OF HIS ABILITY TO AUDITORY PROCESS MAY IMPROVE.
I DON'T WANT TO MINIMIZE HOW SIGNIFICANT IT WAS.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A SIGNIFICANT EVENT.
THEY HAD TO PULL A BLOOD CLOT OUT OF ONE OF HIS BLOOD VESSELS
IN THE BRAIN BUT PEOPLE RECOVER FROM THESE AND LOOKS LIKE THAT'S
EXACTLY WHAT HE'S DOING. >> WE ARE MORE THAN LUCKY DO
HAVE YOU FOR YOUR CONTENT AND EXPERIENCE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> GOT IT.
>> LET'S BRING THE CONVERSATION BACK IN TO THE REPORTERS AROUND
THE TABLE. NUMBER ONE, FETTERMAN WATCHING
THE PROCESSING OF THIS INTERVIEW TODAY TRYING TO TWEET TO SHAPE
THE CONVERSATION AND SAYS RECOVERING FROM A STROKE IN
PUBLIC ISN'T EASY BUT IN JANUARY I'M GOING TO BE MUCH BETTER AND
DR. OZ WILL STILL BE A FRAUD. CLEARLY THEY WOKE UP THIS
MORNING, WATCHING THE MEDIA ATTENTION ON THIS ISSUE AND HE
DECIDED ESSENTIALLY TO STRESS IT ISN'T EASY, EVERYBODY IS
WATCHING ME WHILE I RECOVER FROM THIS HORRIFIC CHALLENGE.
>> NO, ABSOLUTELY. TRYING TO ALMOST -- HE MENTIONED
IT. ALSO TRYING TO APPEAL TO THE
EMPATHY OF VOTERS HERE TOO WHEN COMES TO HIS RECOVERY BUT WHAT
ALSO SHOULD BE NOTED HERE AND THE TAKEAWAY WHEN YOU HAVE A
VOID OF INFORMATION AND YOU DON'T FILL IT AS THE CANDIDATE
THAT'S RUNNING, OTHER PEOPLE WILL.
OTHER PEOPLE WILL. THERE IS A REASON THAT THIS IS
AT THE TOP OF THE NEWS, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS A CRUCIAL EVENT
AS WELL AND, YOU KNOW, HIS HEALTH WAS AT STAKE BUT, YOU
KNOW, ALSO THE INTERVIEWER MENTIONED YESTERDAY MULTIPLE
TIMES, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN SIX MONTHS SINCE YOU SAW A LETTER
FROM HIS DOCTORS. YOU KNOW, HE WAS QUITE DEFENSIVE
AS WELL ABOUT RELEASING HIS HEALTH RECORDS.
THERE'S A VOID OF INFORMATION. >> LET'S LISTEN TO THAT PART
BECAUSE IT WOULD BE I THINK A BETTER CONVERSATION FOR THE
FETTERMAN CAMPAIGN IF DR. GUPTA WERE HERE AND HAD BEEN TO A
BRIEFING WITH THE DOCTORS OR THEY HAD SENT HIM ALL THE
RECORDS AND A BRAIN SURGEON GETS TO LOOK AT IT AND I HAVE LOOKED
AT THEM, A, B, C, AND D. INSTEAD HE IS A BIT DEFENSIVE.
>> WE'VE ASKED FOR YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS.
F WE HAVE ASKED FOR A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR MEDICAL
TEAM. YOU HAVE DECLINED THOSE.
WHY? >> WELL, I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE
BEEN VERY TRANSPARENT IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS WHEN OUR
DOCTOR HAS ALREADY GIVEN A LETTER SAYING THAT I'M ABLE TO
SERVE AND TO BE RUNNING. >> DON'T VOTERS DESERVE TO KNOW
YOUR STAT US NOW? >> BEAK ON IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND HAVING INTERVIEWS AND GETTING
AROUND ALL ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA, THAT GIVES EVERYBODY AND THE
VOTERS DECIDE, YOU KNOW, IF THEY THINK THAT IT'S REALLY THE
ISSUE. >> I MEAN, LOOK, IT RAISES A LOT
OF QUESTIONS. I THINK THE RISK IS THAT IT
MAKES IT SEEM LIKE THEY'RE HIDING SOMETHING, RIGHT, THAT IF
SOMETHING CAME OUT IN THESE RECORDS, IT WOULD BE A POLITICAL
PROBLEM AND, THEREFORE, THEY WOULD PREFER THAT THE PUBLIC NOT
SEE THEM. I MEAN, THAT IS KIND OF THE
CENTRAL CHALLENGE AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS I THINK WHERE THE WAY
THAT HE IS CONDUCTING HIS CAMPAIGN, YOU KNOW, IS GOING TO
AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION AND THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT THE OZ TEAM HAS BEEN ABLE TO REALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
THAT SAID JUST TO GO BACK TO WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A
SECOND AGO, I WENT THROUGH A BRAIN EVENT MYSELF AND I CANNOT
IMAGINE HAVING TO HAVE HAD -- TO RECOVER FROM THAT IN PUBLIC ON
EVERYONE'S TELEVISION SCREENS. IT IS DEFINITELY CHALLENGING AND
IT REALLY TAKES PRETTY CLOSE TO 100% OF YOUR ENERGY SO THIS IS
SOMEBODY WHO IS DOING TWO VERY HARD THINGS AT THE SAME TIME AND
IT REALLY IS UP TO VOTERS TO DECIDE, HEY, ARE WE OKAY WITH
THAT? >> RIGHT, RIGHT, I THINK THEY'RE
ASKING A LOT OF -- THEY'RE BASICALLY ASKING PENNSYLVANIA
VOTERS TO TRUST US. LOOK AT ME ON THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL. TRUST THE DOCTOR'S LETTER THAT
WE GAVE TO YOU IN JUNE AND I THINK IN A PARTICULARLY PARTISAN
ENVIRONMENT THAT'S FINE FOR MANY VOTERS IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEFINITELY DEMOCRATIC VOTERS BUT I STILL THINK -- OBVIOUSLY
VOTERS ARE OWED FULL TRANSPARENCY AND I THINK WHEN HE
DOES APPEAR A LITTLE BIT DEFENSIVE ABOUT THE LACK OF
ACTUAL RECORDS BEING MADE PUBLIC, I THINK THAT'S A TOUGH
CHALLENGE FOR THEM. >> IT IS A TOUGHER CHALLENGE.
APPRECIATE YOUR CANDOR AND YOUR COURAGE AS WELL.