Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Photo / Getty Images
Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Photo / Getty Images
Robert F Kennedy Jr once had part of his brain eaten by a worm, according to reports.
The independent presidential candidate revealed in a 2012 deposition that a parasite had been discovered by doctors during a scan of his brain.
In a recording of the deposition, reported by the New York Times on Wednesday, Kennedy disclosed previously-unknown medical history including the worm and memory loss from eating too much fish.
He said that doctors had taken a scan of his brain and discovered a dark patch inside his skull, which “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died”.
The incident came after Kennedy reported memory loss and fatigue in 2010 that friends and doctors thought could be caused by a brain tumour.
After reviewing the scans, the parasite was discovered inside his head, which is thought to have infected his brain during a trip to South Asia.
‘I have cognitive problems’
Around the same time, Kennedy said he suffered from memory loss that is thought to have been caused by mercury poisoning, a condition that results from eating too much oily fish containing the substance.
He told the deposition: “I have cognitive problems, clearly. I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me.”
Kennedy, 70, has sought to emphasise his relative youth compared with Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the two main candidates in November’s election.
His spokesman said that the cognitive problems had since been resolved and do not represent a challenge to his presidential bid.
“That is a hilarious suggestion, given the competition,” she said.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Photo / Getty Images
Kennedy criticised on campaign trail
Kennedy’s campaign has attracted support from around 10 per cent of Americans, according to some polls.
His team is working to secure his place on the ballot in November’s election, under strict rules in some states that require candidates to prove they have enough support to compete with the main parties.
The former environmental lawyer, who is the nephew of John F Kennedy and son of the former senator Robert F Kennedy, has been criticised for his apparent promotion of conspiracy theories on the campaign trail.
He has spoken out against vaccines, suggested the CIA was involved in his uncle’s death in 1963, and questioned the official narrative of the 9/11 attacks.
Both Biden and Trump have ramped up their opposition to his campaign, using attack adverts in swing states where they are concerned he could eat into their support.
Kennedy’s family, many of whom are Democratic politicians, have said that he does not represent them and have endorsed Biden.
