Hillary Clinton on Her Pneumonia (Plus, What She Did During Those Off-Days)

Hint: puppies.

By Mehera Bonner

Sep 16, 2016

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Hillary Clinton is back on the campaign trail after taking a few sick days to recover from pneumonia, and she delivered a pretty thoughtful update about her health. So, what did the presidential hopeful get up to during her time off? Aside from obsessively scrolling through Donald Trump's Twitter feed (one assumes), she pretty much hung out with her adorable dogs.

"It's great to be back on the campaign trail. As you may know, I recently had a cough that turned out to be pneumonia," Clinton told crowds in North Carolina. "I tried to power through it, but even I had to admit that maybe a few days of rest would do me good. I'm not great at taking it easy, even under ordinary circumstances, and sitting home was pretty much the last place I wanted to be with just two months until Election Day. But having a few days to myself was actually a gift. I talked with some old friends and spent time with our very sweet dogs."

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Happy National Dog Day!

A post shared by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton) on Aug 26, 2015 at 5:51pm PDT

Sounds like #goals, but the democratic candidate also noted that people in her position are lucky enough to be able to afford days off work. Not everyone has that luxury. "Millions of Americans can't," she said. "They either go to work sick, or they lose a paycheck. Lots of Americans still don't even have insurance—or they do, but it's too expensive to actually use."

We can all agree that the flu-ridden among us deserve a few days to relax at home and get better, right?

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"It’s great to be back on the campaign trail. As you may know, I recently had a cough that turned out to be pneumonia. I tried to power through it, but even I had to admit that maybe a few days of rest would do me good. I’m not great at taking it easy, even under ordinary circumstances, and sitting home was pretty much the last place I wanted to be with just two months until Election Day. But having a few days to myself was actually a gift. I talked with some old friends and spent time with our very sweet dogs. And I did some thinking. The campaign trail doesn’t really encourage reflection, and it’s important to sit with your thoughts every now and then. People like me—we’re lucky. When I’m under the weather, I can afford to take a few days off. Millions of Americans can’t. They either go to work sick, or they lose a paycheck. Lots of Americans still don’t even have insurance—or they do, but it’s too expensive to actually use. So they toss back Tylenols, chug orange juice, and hope that cough or cold or virus goes away on its own. And lots of working parents can’t afford child care. It costs as much as college tuition in many states, so millions of moms and dads have no backup if they get sick—they’re on their own. I’ve met so many people living on a razor’s edge—one illness away from losing their job, one paycheck away from losing their home. Events like these are mere bumps in the road for some families—but for others, they are catastrophic. And that disparity goes against everything we stand for as Americans. Some things shouldn’t come down to luck. Some things should be within reach for every American, no matter what—like financial security, affordable health care, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that if something goes wrong, your family will be okay. That’s why I got into this race: to fight for everyone working hard, often against the odds, to support their families and contribute to our country. I want to tear down all the barriers standing in their way." —Hillary today in North Carolina

A post shared by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton) on Sep 15, 2016 at 7:10pm PDT