On Friday, Reverend Jesse Jackson revealed in a statement that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“My family and I began to notice changes about three years ago. For a while, I resisted interrupting my work to visit a doctor. But as my daily physical struggles intensified I could no longer ignore the symptoms, so I acquiesced,” he said in a statement. “Recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful, and I have been slow to grasp the gravity of it. 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.”
The 76-year-old civil rights leader was reportedly diagnosed back in 2015, according to Northwestern Medicine. The organization revealed that they had been treating Jackson as an out-patient, for the disease that has been described as “progressive degenerative disorder that results from loss of cells in various parts of the brain that control movement.”
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“I will need your prayers and graceful understanding as I undertake this new challenge,” the statement said.
