The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s family insisted Sunday that the civil-rights icon is in stable condition and “not on life support” in the wake of “inaccurate media reports’’ about his health.
Jackson, 84, was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago last week and placed under observation over his progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative brain disorder, according to a statement from his Rainbow PUSH Coalition on Thursday.
The nonprofit organization said at the time that Jackson was in “stable condition” and “receiving appropriate treatment” for the condition.
Civil-rights icon Jesse Jackson, 84, suffers from a degenerative neurological condition. MediaPunch/ShutterstockA family source then told CNN on Sunday that Jackson suffered a significant drop in blood pressure Saturday night and was placed on a form of life support to help stabilize him.
His family released a statement later Sunday through the coalition, insisting Jackson is still “in stable condition” and “breathing without the assistance of machines.
“In fact, today he called for 2,000 churches to prepare 2,000 baskets of food to prevent malnutrition during the holiday season,” Jackson’s son, Yusef, said in the statement.
The coalition said Jackson “has been managing this neurodegenerative condition for more than a decade.”
Jackson joins forces here with New York City activist Al Sharpton in 1999. Don Halasy/New York Post ArchivesJackson was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a separate neurodegenerative condition with similar symptoms, but was re-diagnosed with PSP in April, according to the nonprofit.
Most people with PSP develop severe disability within three to five years, according to the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Jackson, a close aide and protege of the late Martin Luther King Jr., helped take up MLK Jr.’s mantle after the civil-rights legend was assassinated in 1968. Jackson quickly rose to prominence as he sought to expand opportunities for black communities.
Jackson helped pick up the civil-rights mantle of the slain Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Bettmann ArchiveIn 1971, he founded Operation PUSH, which provided resources to improve economic opportunity in black communities.
He launched the National Rainbow Coalition separately in 1984. It was centered on obtaining equal rights for all Americans.
The two organizations merged into Rainbow PUSH Coalition around 1996.
