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 observation” 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 observation for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP),” the organization said in a statement.
“He has been managing this neurodegenerative condition for more than a decade. He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; however, last April, his PSP condition was confirmed. The family appreciates all prayers at this time,” the statement continued.
According to 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, thinking and other functions.
PSP “worsens over time and can lead to dangerous complications, such as pneumonia and trouble swallowing,” per the Mayo Clinic.
There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is usually focused on managing symptoms.
A protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson is an important figure in the U.S. civil rights movement.
In 2017, Jackson announced that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, though his diagnosis has since changed to PSP.
“Throughout my career of service, God has kept me in the embrace of his loving arms, and protected me and my family from dangers, seen and unseen,” Jackson said in a November 2017 post on X. “Now in 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 began to notice changes about three years ago.”
“After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the issue as Parkinson’s disease, a disease that bested my father,” he said.
“Recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful, and I have been slow to grasp the gravity of it,” he continued. “For me, a Parkinson’s diagnosis is not a stop sign but rather a signal that I must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease’s progression.”
Michael J. Fox is reflecting on living with Parkinson’s disease more than 30 years after his diagnosis. While attending his A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s musical charity gala in Nashville earlier this week, the Back to the Future actor, 62, opened up about his health and how he won’t stop […]
“I want to thank my family and friends who continue to care for me and support me,” the famed civil rights activist concluded. “I will need your prayers and graceful understanding as I undertake this new challenge.”
In August 2021, both Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, 81, were diagnosed with COVID-19.
“Both are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatments,” the couple’s son, Jonathan Jackson, said in a statement at the time. “My family appreciates all of the expressions of concern and prayers that have been offered on their behalf, and we will continue to offer our prayers for 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.
