The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights activist known for his left-wing views, was discharged from a Chicago hospital after a 12-day stay for his rare brain disorder, his family announced late Monday.
The 84-year-old Baptist minister received medical care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for progressive supranuclear palsy. The condition is related to Parkinson’s disease, with which he was diagnosed in 2013. Doctors changed the Parkinson’s diagnosis to reflect the neurodegenerative condition in April.
Following his release from the hospital, Jackson’s family revealed he remains in stable condition. He was previously placed on life support, which stabilized his dropping blood pressure.
“Our family would like to thank the countless friends and supporters who have reached out, visited, and prayed for our father,” son Yusef Jackson said in a statement released by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a Chicago-based progressive organization founded by the elder Jackson in 1996.
“We bear witness to the fact that prayer works and would also like to thank the professional, caring, and amazing medical and security staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital,” he added. “We humbly ask for your continued prayers throughout this precious time.”
Jackson faced several health episodes in recent years, including gallbladder surgery and two hospitalizations due to COVID-19. The first hospitalization occurred in February 2021, shortly after he was treated for abdominal discomfort with the gallbladder surgery, and the second occurred in August that year.
Jackson inherited Parkinson’s disease from his father, who died from a heart attack and Parkinson’s complications in 1997.
There is no cure for progressive supranuclear palsy.
LEFT-WING ACTIVIST JESSE JACKSON HOSPITALIZED WITH PROGRESSIVE SUPRANUCLEAR PALSY
In the 1980s, the left-wing activist ran for president twice unsuccessfully as a Democrat and later served as a shadow senator for the District of Columbia. The elected position has no voting power in the Senate, and the person in that post serves mostly in a lobbying role.
As his health declined, Jackson resigned from his leadership role at Rainbow PUSH Coalition in 2023. However, he did not step away from the public spotlight altogether. Last year, he spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to support then-Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential bid.
