17
Nov
Nov
REV. JESSE JACKSON HOSPITALIZED, RECEIVING CARE FOR BLOOD PRESSURE
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CapitalTimesNews / 3 months
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- 2 min read
Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson remains hospitalized and has been receiving care to manage his blood pressure, according to sources close to his family. In a statement released late Sunday afternoon, the family clarified his condition, stating he is breathing on his own without the assistance of machines and is not on life support. However, a separate source added that Jackson had earlier been receiving medication to raise his blood pressure, which is medically considered a form of life support. The family reports a positive development, noting that in the last 24 hours, Jackson’s condition has improved and he has been able to maintain a stable blood pressure without the assistance of medication. Jackson, 84, has been under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), as confirmed by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. A source close to the family says Jackson has had brief moments of energy due to a new medication and, despite a significant drop in blood pressure on Saturday night, received immediate medical attention. The source also stated that even while under treatment, he has shown brief but meaningful signs of responsiveness. His son Yusef Jackson provided a specific example of this responsiveness in the Sunday afternoon statement, saying, “In fact, today he called for 2,000 churches to prepare 2,000 baskets of food to prevent malnutrition during the holiday season.” Last week, his other son, Jesse Jackson Jr., also reported a “significant improvement” in the civil rights leader’s condition. Progressive supranuclear palsy is described by the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as “a rare neurological disorder that affects body movements, walking and balance, and eye movements.” The disease typically begins in a person’s 60s and often leads to severe disability within three to five years. Jackson has been managing this neurodegenerative condition for more than a decade. He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but his PSP condition was confirmed last April. A protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson rose to national prominence in the 1960s. After King’s assassination, he became a transformative civil rights leader, founding Operation PUSH in 1971 and the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984. The two organizations later merged to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.