Rev. Jesse Jackson has been hospitalized after being diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease.
Jackson, 84, was hospitalized in Chicago on Wednesday, November 12, and is “under remark” for symptoms of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), said the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the social change nonprofit organization founded by the civil rights activist.
“The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr. was admitted to the hospital today and is currently under remark for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP),” the organization said in a press release.
“He has been managing this neurodegenerative condition for greater than a decade. He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; nonetheless, last April, his PSP condition was confirmed. The family appreciates all prayers right now,” the statement continued.
In line with the Mayo Clinic, progressive supranuclear palsy is a “rare brain disease that affects walking, balance, eye movements and swallowing.” The condition results from damage to brain cells that control body movement, coordination, considering and other functions.
PSP “worsens over time and might result in dangerous complications, reminiscent of pneumonia and trouble swallowing,” per the Mayo Clinic.
There is no such thing as a cure for the disease. Treatment is often focused on managing symptoms.
A protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson is a vital figure within the U.S. civil rights movement.
In 2017, Jackson announced that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, though his diagnosis has since modified to PSP.
“Throughout my profession of service, God has kept me within the embrace of his loving arms, and guarded me and my family from dangers, seen and unseen,” Jackson said in a November 2017 post on X. “Now within the latter years of my life, at 76 years old, I find it increasingly difficult to perform routine tasks, and getting around is more of a challenge. My family and I started to note changes about three years ago.”
“After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the difficulty as Parkinson’s disease, a disease that bested my father,” he said.
“Recognition of the results of this disease on me has been painful, and I actually have been slow to understand the gravity of it,” he continued. “For me, a Parkinson’s diagnosis is just not a stop sign but somewhat a signal that I have to make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease’s progression.”
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“I would like to thank my family and friends who proceed to look after me and support me,” the famed civil rights activist concluded. “I’ll need your prayers and graceful understanding as I undertake this latest challenge.”
In August 2021, each Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, 81, were diagnosed with COVID-19.
“Each are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatments,” the couple’s son, Jonathan Jackson, said in a statement on the time. “My family appreciates the entire expressions of concern and prayers which have been offered on their behalf, and we are going to proceed to supply our prayers in your family as well.”
Jackson and Jacqueline have five children together: Santita, 62, Jesse Jr., 60, Jonathan, 59, Yusef DuBois, 55, and Jacqueline Lavinia, 50. In 2001, Jackson admitted to having a daughter born out of an extramarital affair.