The independent presidential candidate of United States, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., He claimed to have been affected by a parasite that would have lodged and “eaten” part of his brain, causing severe memory loss and mental confusion.
Kennedy, a 70-year-old environmental lawyer, made this statement in 2012 as part of the divorce trial with his second wife, but the news returned to the public agenda this Wednesday according to local media reports.
“The problem (of parasites) It was resolved more than 10 years ago and he is in good physical and mental health.“, clarified his spokesperson Stefanie Spear this Wednesday, after the commotion generated by the review of his statement.
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Robert Kennedy Jr ran for president of the United States as an independent candidate.
Being one of the members of the Kennedy clan, the emblematic family of American politics, Robert was not exempt from fame throughout his career. However, in recent years his figure has gained notoriety for his anti-vaccine activism in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
He is currently contesting the presidential race against the “major” candidates of the predominant parties in the United States, Joe Biden y Donald Trump, to whom he draws votes. So the recent revelation about his health history could affect his image. “Questioning Mr. Kennedy’s health is a funny suggestion, considering his competitors”Spear added.
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“A dead parasite” in Robert Kennedy’s brain
In 2010, Robert, nephew of the former president John F. Kennedy He was 56 years old at the time, and was facing memory loss and mental confusion so alarming that a friend feared he might have a tumor cerebral.
At the time, Kennedy claimed to have consulted several of the country’s top neurologists, many of whom had treated or spoken to his uncle, Senator Edward Kennedy, before his death a year earlier from brain cancer.
Several doctors observed at that time a dark spot on brain scans from the environmental lawyer and concluded that he had a tumor, according to a 2012 statement reviewed by The New York Times. Meanwhile, a procedure was immediately scheduled at Duke University Medical Center, in the state of North Carolina, with the same surgeon who had operated on his uncle.
However, while preparing his trip to the medical center, Kennedy received a call from a doctor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital with a different opinion: He believed that Kennedy had “a dead parasite” in his brain.
This doctor considered that the abnormality observed in the scans “It was caused by a worm that entered my brain, fed on part of it, and then died,” Kennedy recounted in his statement.
Activism and candidacy
Kennedy Jr. is known for his anti-vaccine activism and for being part of one of the most recognized political dynasties in the United States. Currently, at 70 years old, he is running as independent presidential candidate, highlighting his sports practice and his relative youth as an advantage against the two older – and unpopular – candidates seeking the White House: President Joe Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 77.
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According to the latest polls, Kennedy has a double-digit voting intention and occupied a place on the ballots in the states of Utah, Michigan, Hawaii and, according to his campaign team, California and Delaware. Meanwhile, they highlighted that his efforts to expand his presence in more states could be key in the elections.
The presidential candidate did everything possible to project an image of healthparticipating in sports activities such as skiing with professionals and lifting weights in an outdoor gym in Venice Beach, according to images published by local media.
Robert Kennedy’s health history
Despite his efforts to display vitality, Kennedy faced serious health problems over the years, including an apparent mercury poisoning, probably due to excessive consumption of fish that contains this heavy metal, which causes serious neurological problems.
Regarding the parasite that lodged in his brain, the revelation occurred during his divorce process from his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, in 2012, when he argued that his cognitive difficulties affected his ability to generate income.
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In a recent interview with The New York Times, Kennedy claimed to have overcome memory loss and confusion, without suffering side effects from the parasite, which he claimed did not require treatment. A statement that is key in the context of the competition for the presidential race, in which suitability and health play a leading role, considering the long-lived candidates.
Notably, Kennedy’s campaign team refused to provide medical records, something that was also not done by President Biden or Trump. Regarding the worm, doctors specialized in infectious diseases and neurosurgeons, consulted by The Timessuggested that, based on what Kennedy described, it was probably a pig tapeworm larva.