Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. Nearly Died Last Month From Chemotherapy Complications : Report

Ocean County Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. has discontinued chemotherapy for now, after he nearly died from treatment complications in October, according to app.com.

Bartlett, 69, made the announcement at the Nov. 2 Board of Freeholder meeting. It was his first appearance at a freeholder meeting since the summer.

The chemotherapy treatment resulted in a "life-threatening" dehydration situation, Bartlett said at the meeting

While Bartlett's surgery — he had undergone a colectomy at the start of the summer — went "very, very well," the chemotherapy did not, he said

His blood pressure dropped so quickly that doctors at Jersey Shore University Medical Center were unable to locate his pulse.

"That started a chain reaction of other organs shutting down — kidneys, liver, gall bladder — because of a lack of blood flow," he said.

The freeholder said that an effort was made to "super hydrate" him, and the procedure was done with a warning to his wife, Peggy, that her husband's heart might not be strong enough to withstand the emergency procedure.

"Fortunately, I was in good health and good shape, and that's what comes from cutting your own grass all the time and raking the leaves," Bartlett said.

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Image: Ocean County Government