‘It’s absolutely brutal to have such a life-halting issue’: Doctors couldn’t figure it out, he reportedly said on a social media platform
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However, the Times reports, after a spinal fusion surgery in July of 2023, he wrote that he didn’t need pain medication and could easily sit, stand and walk.
“The surgery wasn’t nearly as scary as I made it out to be in my head, and I knew it was the right decision within a week,” he said, according to one Reddit post. An image posted to a social media account linked to Mangione showed what appeared to be an X-ray of a metal rod and multiple screws inserted into someone’s lower spine.
But back pain was not his only struggle. He also wrote about “brain fog” that had gotten worse during his college years, making studying more difficult.
Doctors couldn’t figure it out, he said, adding: “It’s absolutely brutal to have such a life-halting issue.”
The Times also noted that Mangione posted on a Reddit page for people dealing with irritable bowel syndrome, saying he had undergone some testing for the condition, and that it had been covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield — apparently his only reference in the Reddit writings to insurance coverage.
He appeared to view the targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO as a symbolic takedown, the bulletin said.
Meanwhile, a friend of Mangione’s, R.J. Martin, told the Times that Mangione had moved to Hawaii in 2021 in a bid to get as healthy as possible in advance of the spinal operation.
The list also included numerous books related to alternative medicine and psychedelics, and linked to a handwritten note detailing his workout routine and stating that he was suffering from spondylolisthesis, CNN reported.
Sources say that after the back surgery, Mangione returned to Hawaii, but by last spring he had ceased communications with most friends and family members.
The Associated Press also reports that an X account linked to Mangione includes recent posts about the negative impact of smartphones on children; healthy eating and exercise habits; psychological theories; and a quote from Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti about the dangers of becoming “well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”
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