Update on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Health
The family of Rev. Jesse Jackson, the renowned civil rights leader, clarified on Sunday that he is in stable condition and “not on life support,” countering what they described as “inaccurate media reports” regarding his health.
At 84 years old, Jackson was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago last week. He is being observed for progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative brain disease, as noted in a statement from the Rainbow PUSH Union on Thursday.
They had previously mentioned that Jackson was “stable” and “receiving appropriate treatment” for his condition.
A family member later mentioned to CNN that Jackson’s blood pressure had dropped significantly on Saturday night, prompting staff to provide life support temporarily for stabilization. However, his family later reiterated that Jackson was in “stable condition” and “breathing without mechanical assistance.”
Interestingly, Jackson’s son Youssef noted, “Today, Mr. Jackson called on 2,000 churches to prepare food parcels to combat malnutrition during the holiday season.”
Furthermore, according to the coalition, Mrs. Jackson has been managing this neurodegenerative disease for more than a decade.
Initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Jackson was later rediagnosed with PSP in April. It’s worth mentioning that most individuals with PSP face significant disability within three to five years, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
A close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson took on significant responsibilities in the civil rights movement after King’s assassination in 1968, quickly becoming an influential figure in advocating for the African American community.
In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH, aimed at enhancing economic opportunities for Black communities. Later, in 1984, he launched the National Rainbow Coalition, which sought equal rights for all Americans. The two organizations eventually merged around 1996 to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
