Sen. John Fetterman just dropped a bombshell with his upcoming memoir, pulling back the curtain on a battle with suicidal depression that’s left Washington reeling, as the Daily Mail reports.

The Pennsylvania Democrat, now 56, lays bare his harrowing journey through a near-fatal stroke, relentless mental health struggles, and a campaign that nearly broke him in Unfettered, set for release on Tuesday.

Let’s rewind to 2022, when Fetterman was campaigning for the U.S. Senate and suffered a stroke mere days before the Democratic Party primary. His wife, Gisele, spotted the warning signs and rushed him to medical care. Doctors extracted a dangerous blood clot and implanted a pacemaker to save his life.

Fetterman’s Health Crisis Unfolds

Surviving the stroke, Fetterman pushed through to win the primary, but the aftermath left him grappling with auditory processing issues. Still, he refused to step back, facing off against Republican Mehmet Oz in the general election. The grit is admirable, though some might call it sheer stubbornness in the face of clear warning signs.

Media scrutiny and public criticism didn’t help, piling on as Fetterman’s mental state took a nosedive. A poorly received debate performance during the campaign became a tipping point, deepening his spiral into self-loathing. This wasn’t just politics -- it was personal devastation.

Fetterman ties much of his inner turmoil to childhood trauma, born to teenage parents and haunted by lingering shame and feelings of inadequacy. Even a five-point victory over Oz, outshining Joe Biden in many counties, brought no relief. Success on paper couldn’t touch the emptiness he felt.

Rock Bottom, Suicidal Thoughts Exposed

Post-election, Fetterman was a shell of himself, bedridden and emotionally numb for months. By early 2023, he was barely functioning, neither eating nor sleeping, trapped in a mental prison. It’s a stark reminder that public wins don’t heal private wounds.

In his own chilling words, “Once, as I lay in bed, I asked myself, what would you do if there were a pill on the nightstand you could take and not wake up? I would have taken it,” Fetterman confesses in Unfettered. That raw honesty hits hard, exposing a depth of despair that no political spin can cover up.

Desperation led him to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in early 2023, where a diagnosis of severe depression finally named his struggle. Therapy and reading became lifelines during his 44-day stay. A young therapist’s simple plea, “Children need their daddy,” sparked a flicker of purpose in him.

Family, Recovery Fuel Comeback

Returning home, Fetterman leaned on the love of his three children to rebuild. It’s a touching pivot, though one wonders if the progressive agenda he often supports truly values family as the bedrock he rediscovered. Family isn’t just a talking point -- it’s a lifeline.

The memoir also sheds light on the toll his illness took on Gisele, his wife, who bore the emotional brunt of his collapse. Fetterman admits, “After the stroke, I think the depression broke Gisele -- as it does so many spouses trying to deal with it in a partner.” That’s a sobering nod to the hidden casualties of mental health battles, often ignored in our culture’s rush to “move on.”

Now, in 2025, Fetterman reflects on survival and public service with a newfound strength drawn from family and self-acceptance. He still faces stigma and criticism, especially from those who question his political stances. Yet, his willingness to cross party lines on issues like immigration and Israel shows a maverick streak conservatives might quietly respect.

Memoir Sparks Broader Cultural Debate

This isn’t just a personal story -- it’s a challenge to the woke narrative that shies away from tough conversations about mental health. Fetterman’s candor cuts through the fluff, forcing us to ask why society still stigmatizes these struggles while obsessing over less pressing identity politics. It’s a discussion long overdue.

Washington was caught off guard by these revelations on Monday, and for good reason. Here’s a man who admits, “In hindsight, I should have quit,” yet soldiered on through sheer will -- or perhaps folly.

His story demands we rethink how we treat public figures, even as we hold firm against policies we oppose.