Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed that he was informed by a doctor that a worm had gotten “into” his brain and had eaten “a portion of it.”
During a 2012 deposition that occurred while he was getting a divorce from his second wife, Kennedy revealed that doctors had “noticed a dark spot” on his brain scans, claiming it was a brain tumor, according to the New York Times (NYT).
Kennedy’s revelation during the deposition came two years after he began experiencing severe memory loss and fogginess, which worried a friend.
“I have cognitive problems, clearly,” Kennedy said during the deposition. “I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me.”
After scheduling a procedure to remove what doctors believed was a tumor, Kennedy said he received a phone call from another doctor from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, who explained that he believed the dark spot on his brain scans was actually a dead worm.
During the deposition, Kennedy explained that the doctor said the dark spot was caused by a “worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.”
Around the same time frame that Kennedy had learned about the dead parasite in his brain, he found out he had mercury poisoning. Mercury poisoning occurs when an individual has generally eaten too much seafood, or more specifically fish containing mercury.
In an interview with the NYT, Kennedy said doctors tested him and his brain scans showed no change in the dark spot, leading doctors to believe that the parasite was dead.
Kennedy told the outlet in the interview that he did not know what type of parasite it had been or where he might have contracted it.
When the NYT questioned the Kennedy campaign about whether the independent presidential candidate was healthy enough to run for office, Stefanie Spear, a spokeswoman for the campaign, told the outlet that it was a “hilarious suggestion” and pointed to former President Donald Trump, 77, and President Joe Biden, 81.
“That is a hilarious suggestion, given the competition,” Spear said.
Kennedy has previously challenged Biden to prove that he is mentally and physically capable of being in office by debating him.
A recent Harvard-Harris poll found that 47 percent of voters felt that Biden is “getting worse,” while 29 percent felt like he was improving.
The poll also found that 55 percent of voters have concerns about Biden’s age and mental fitness. Out of this number, 80 percent of Republicans, 62 percent of independents, and 26 percent of Democrats expressed doubts about Biden’s mental health.
