John Fetterman Had a Stroke. Gisele Fetterman Became A Political Star
The former undocumented immigrant from Brazil never wanted a life in the spotlight. She didn't have a choice after her husband was hospitalized
October 15, 2022
by Kara Voght
BRISTOL, Pa. — John Fetterman will readily tell you he’s had a stroke. It was the first thing he mentioned in his rally stump speech at a riverside park in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Sunday — well, the second, after he razzed Dr. Mehmet Oz, his GOP opponent, for living in New Jersey. He noted he’s likely to mispronounce some words and slur others together, and over the course of 12 minutes, he occasionally did. He asked audience members to share if they’ve ever experienced any personal health challenges — and slammed Dr. Oz for mocking his recovery. “What kind of a doctor roots for somebody that was sick to stay sick?” Fetterman asked.
After he finished his brief remarks, Fetterman’s circumstances suggested he’d lumber back onto the campaign bus from which he’d emerged. Instead, he met his wife, Gisele, at the base of the stage. They were going to do a rope line, lingering stroke symptoms be damned.
As they approached supporters lined along the metal barricades, Fetterman offered only high fives and fist bumps, repeating a gruff “thank you.” It was Gisele, staying just a pace ahead of her husband, who took the questions, accepted the compliments, and carried on conversations — some on behalf of her husband, some about “something they saw on my Instagram,” where Gisele documents her family’s life to more than 43,000 followers. A little girl with a broken arm asked Gisele to sign her cast, onto which Gisele scribbled “SLOP,” the moniker she’d given herself as the new second lady of Pennsylvania when her husband won the lieutenant governorship in 2018.
“I had no idea who a second lady was or what her role was,” she told me during an interview in Philadelphia later that day. “I’m like, ‘How do I make this role relatable and accessible?’ So ‘SLOP’ was born.”
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https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/john-fetterman-wife-gisele-unlikely-political-star-1234611746/
