Independent presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. believes that some “cognitive issues” he suffered over a decade ago could have been caused by a parasite which he said “ate a portion” of his brain before he died.
Per a New York Times report on Wednesday, Kennedy went to neurologists after he was experiencing memory loss and a few other symptoms not long after he lost his uncle, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) to brain cancer. A friend at the time was worried the problem could be a brain tumor.
Like his friend feared, his diagnosis came out as a tumor. However, a doctor at New-York Presbyterian hospital said that his scans indicated that the issue was a parasite.
According to Kennedy in a deposition from 2012, the doctor said that he believed the damage to his brain “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.”
RFK Jr. Says ‘Cognitive Issues’ Stem From Worm That ‘Ate A Portion Of’ His Brain, ‘Then Died’ https://t.co/NJDA2cHpLf pic.twitter.com/wc27AaXHow
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) May 8, 2024
According to the New York Times, doctors found the parasite was pork tapeworm lava he could have been exposed to in his travels abroad.
During the deposition which was part of his divorce proceedings with his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, he also revealed that at the same time, a worm was discovered in his brain, he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning due to the amount of fish in his diet.
Kennedy made it clear that he has cognitive problems, saying, “I have cognitive problems clearly. I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me.”
However, he now says he has long recovered, with his campaign spokesperson, Stefanie Spear, brushing off concerns that his previous health issues would impact his fitness to serve as president.
“That is a hilarious suggestion, given the competition,” Spear said.
Neither Kennedy nor his campaign have released medical records that could verify his account.
Meanwhile, he has gained ballot access in battleground states, including Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina, according to his campaign.
