Rep. Tom Kean Jr. is explaining his long absence from Congress.
The Republican U.S. representative, representing New Jersey’s 7th congressional district since 2023, was not in attendance in Congress since March 5, nor did he attend any public events.
He vaguely issued a statement citing “a personal medical issue” at the end of April.
“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” he later told the New Jersey Globe in May without providing more details about the medical issue.
Now, he’s speaking out.
Tom Kean Jr. Says He Has Depression
On Tuesday (June 30), the politician disclosed that he was diagnosed with depression and spent some time at a hospital.
“I’m grateful that I accepted help. Asking for help is not a weakness. It is a strength,” he said, via CBS News.
“Now, when people hear the word ‘depression,’ many people think … it means feeling sad, but depression is so much more than that. It is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be,” he said, adding that during his stay in the hospital, he “began to understand not only my diagnosis, but how long depression had been affecting my life.”
The representative added that “there is no timeline for healing, there is no timeline for recovery, only the work of getting better one day at a time.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert responded to the diagnosis to TMZ.
“I think it’s embarrassing still…take care of yourself, get healthy, but who gets to take four months off of work because they’re sad?” she said.
Find out more about his months-long disappearance.
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