Fetterman's wife grabs children, drives to Canada for 'joy and fun' as husband remains in hospital

Gisele Fetterman, wife of Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, decided to "run away" with her kids to Canada for some "joy and fun" after her husband checked himself into Walter Reed medical center to receive treatment for "clinical depression."

The Post Millennial reported John Fetterman, 51, checked himself into the hospital on Monday, February 13 on the recommendation of Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress. According to Gisele Fetterman, she left with their children for Canada on Valentine's Day, February 14, after Fetterman was hospitalized.

41-year-old Gisele Fetterman tweeted on Friday that "I am not really sure how to navigate this journey but am figuring it out slowly. 1 week ago today when the news dropped, the kids were off from school and media trucks circled our home. I did the first thing I could think of … pack them in the car and drive."

"We drove straight into … Canada (and lovely Buffalo NY) (Pro Tip: always have passports ready just in case you have to run away ) We talked about lots of hard things and how we will all have to face hard things. About the need to be gentle … with all and with ourselves," she added.

She uploaded an image of her and the children posing with thumbs up at Niagara Falls and video of the family, except the father, preparing to zipline over the Falls.

She said, "We did some scary things but we did them together. We ziplined over Niagara Falls and August got stuck . We talked about flexibility and the need to always have an open heart and an open mind.

"We also talked about how joy and fun can and must still exist, even when someone we love is in pain. And tomorrow? Who knows. Will try all over again," she added.

Last year, Gisele Fetterman delivered her husband's victory remarks after he won the Democrat party primary race for the Pennsylvania senate seat. Fetterman was hospitalized at the time after suffering a stroke in May 2022. 

In the general race against GOP rival Doctor Mehmet Oz, whom he later beat, reports emerged that Fetterman had difficulty understanding people's voices and hearing post-stroke.

In October 2022, John Fetterman gave an interview with NBC reporter Dasha Burns and she later said "it wasn’t clear he was understanding our conversation." Gisele Fetterman then called the reporter "ableist" for those remarks and demanded consequences for Burns' words.