Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has revealed a bizarre health condition involving a brain-eating parasite. Kennedy, who once feared a tumor, was instead diagnosed with a deceased parasite lodging in his brain. “Doctors were baffled by the scans, but eventually, it seemed a worm had taken a detour in my brain, feasted, and expired,” Kennedy recounted in a deposition.
The timing of these health revelations is relevant, given Kennedy’s vigorous campaign activities, which include skiing with Olympians and lifting weights shirtless in Venice Beach. At 70, he projects vitality in an attempt to differentiate himself from his two chief competitors, President Biden and Donald Trump.
In an election cycle when presidential fitness is a main topic of debate, Kennedy’s health narrative is peculiar. “He traveled extensively…contracted a parasite…resolved more than 10 years ago,” said Stefanie Spear, Kennedy’s campaign spokeswoman.
But can a parasite really munch on one’s brain without leaving a lasting impact? Experts weigh in cautiously. “While it’s not typical for parasites to consume brain tissue, their presence can cause significant damage,” noted Dr. Peter Hotez from Baylor College of Medicine in an interview with CNN. Indeed, Kennedy himself admitted to severe cognitive disruptions, though he claims a full recovery.
With Kennedy’s history of adopting controversial stances, the combination of the two narratives has sown a field ripe for jokes at the presidential hopeful’s expense. Twitter and political media are inundated with posts alluding to the compelling notion that Kennedy’s more fringe positions are a result of reduced brain functioning, all thanks to a brain-eating worm. One social media user wrote: “Saying the things he says, explains everything. For saying that, you need to have lost part of your brain.”
Another commented: “I bet they found a lot more dead matter in there. Even the Kennedy family has disowned this wackjob.”
Kennedy also suffers from Spasmodic dysphonia, also known as laryngeal dysphonia, which results in a shaky, tight or strained-sounding voice that makes communication difficult, something that is of primary importance to any candidate who counts on delivering clear and convincing messages to the voters that he is courting. However, RFK does not seem to let this condition–or a dead worm in his brain–get in the way of his ambition to unseat incumbent president Joe Biden and trample over Donald Trump in his quest for the White House.
