Rev. Jackson vows to fight Parkinson’s

THE REV. JESSE Jackson announced Friday he has Parkinson’s disease.

Jackson, 76, said in a statement on Twitter that the diagnosis came after he began finding it “increasingly difficult to perform routine tasks.” “My family and I began to notice changes about three years ago,” he said.

He said he resisted seeing a doctor so as not to interrupt his work, but finally gave in after his “daily physical struggles intensified.” “After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the issue as Parkinson’s disease, a disease that bested my father,” Jackson wrote.

He explained how he has struggled to accept the implications of his diagnosis, but vowed to battle the disease.

“For me, a Parkinson’s diagnosis is not a stop sign but rather a signal that I must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease’s progression,” he said.