During his career, which saw him also take a turn as being mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Mr Sanders has attempted to become the Democrat nominee, missing out in 2016 to Hillary Clinton, and in 2020 to incumbent US President Joe Biden.
Mr Sanders has often been incredibly forthright in his opinions, but unearthed accounts show that when it came to his own health, the American was less than clear.
He left his supporters panicked after he was hospitalised in 2019 following chest pains experienced during a Las Vegas campaign event.
According to reports, his campaign announced that as a result of a blockage being found in one of his coronary arteries, he had two stents fitted. As a result, a series of campaign events and appearances were cancelled.
Today, US politician Bernie Sanders, who serves as the junior senator from Vermont, turns 81. Across social media, his supporters have marked the occasion by wishing the politician many happy returns, with activist Robin Leigh adding: “Happy birthday to my political lodestar, my personal hero, and my pretend dad. Thank you for spending your life fighting for someone you don’t know. And may the same be said of all of us.” The New York-born senator is among the most influential politicians in the US, with his progressive left-wing policies often aligned with his compatriot Jeremy Corbyn in the UK.
Following a period in hospital, it was revealed that Mr Sanders had been diagnosed as having had a heart attack, something that left the New Yorker stunned.
In a statement following his period hospitalised, Mr Sanders’ doctors said: “After presenting to an outside facility with chest pain, Sen. Sanders was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction. He was immediately transferred to Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center.
“The senator was stable upon arrival and taken immediately to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory, at which time two stents were placed in a blocked coronary artery in a timely fashion. All other arteries were normal.
“His hospital course was uneventful with good expected progress. He was discharged with instructions to follow up with his personal physician.”
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MSN reported that after Mr Sanders had spent “a few days” back at home resting, he expressed his regret at not seeking medical attention sooner, admitting: “I was dumb.”
In his first appearances following the heart attack, Mr Sanders told a Democratic debate that he was “healthy” and “feeling great”.
During the appearance, Mr Sanders was quizzed over his abilities to be President as a result of his condition, with the politician responding: “We are going to be mounting a vigorous campaign all over this country. That is how I think I can reassure the American people.”
More recently, Mr Sanders moved to show his solidarity with striking workers in the UK with a surprise appearance in London last week.
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He noted his support by explaining that “what is going on today in the UK is no different than what is going on in the US”, admitting it was the “same bloody thing”.
During his speech to the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), he added: “What you are seeing is people on the top who are phenomenally rich are becoming richer, you’re seeing a middle class continue to shrink and you’re seeing millions and millions of people living in abject poverty.
“In the year 2022, we cannot allow that to happen, whether it’s the UK or the United States, working people all over the globe have got to stand together and tell the oligarchs they cannot have it all.”
His remarks came as London Underground and Overground workers went on strike over low wage raises, as well as proposed job cuts.
He added: “What are you looking at globally is a small number of billionaires who have enormous power over the economic life of the people and the political life of the people.
“And our challenge is to bring people together to stand up to the demagogues who want to divide us up by the colour of our skin or where we were born or our sexual orientation.”