Doctors are monitoring the civil rights leader’s condition, which remains hospitalized in Chicago after being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy.
AllHipHop.com
AllHipHop.com has been a pioneer in hip-hop news since 1998. Get our daily email for exclusive breaking news and a weekly digest, all curated for true hip-hop lovers. Stay connected and on the pulse of hip hop culture. Subscribe now!
subscription
Jesse Jackson was hospitalized in Chicago this week for observation related to progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological disease that he has been battling for more than a decade, and is reportedly on life support to stabilize his blood pressure.
CBS Chicago News has also learned that friends and family are flying to Chicago from across the country to be with Jackson.
The Rainbow Alliance confirmed on Wednesday (November 11) that the 84-year-old civil rights leader was hospitalized for monitoring after being officially diagnosed with PSP by doctors in April. The diagnosis came after years of treatment for what was initially thought to be Parkinson’s disease.
“He was initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; however, last April, his PSP condition was confirmed,” the organization said in a statement. “The family appreciates all the prayers at this time.”
Progressive supranuclear palsy is a degenerative brain disease that affects balance, mobility, eye movement, and swallowing function. Symptoms can worsen over time and can lead to life-threatening complications such as aspiration pneumonia, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The disease usually affects people over the age of 60, and early stages can resemble Parkinson’s disease, often leading to misdiagnosis. Although there is no cure, treatments such as physical therapy, antidepressants, Botox injections, and Parkinson’s disease medications may help relieve symptoms.
Jackson first revealed his health issues in 2017, revealing that his family noticed changes in his health as early as 2014. He also revealed that his father suffers from the same condition.
A towering figure in the history of American civil rights, Jackson began his activism with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s and later ran for the Democratic presidential nomination twice, in 1984 and 1988. In 2000, then-President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his decades of contributions to social justice.
Jackson founded the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984, which merged with Operation PUSH in 1996 to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Despite failing health, he remained active in public life and continued his advocacy work into his 80s.
