R.F.K. Jr. Says Doctors Found a Dead Worm in His Brain

[PunkinPi]

Last edited Wed May 8, 2024, 07:57 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: NYT

...
While packing for the trip, he said, he received a call from a doctor at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital who had a different opinion: Mr. Kennedy, he believed, had a dead parasite in his head.

The doctor believed that the abnormality seen on his scans “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died,” Mr. Kennedy said in the deposition.

Now an independent presidential candidate, the 70-year-old Mr. Kennedy has portrayed his athleticism and relative youth as an advantage over the two oldest people to ever seek the White House: President Biden, 81, and former President Donald J. Trump, 77. Mr. Kennedy has secured a place on the ballots in Utah, Michigan, Hawaii and, his campaign says, California and Delaware. His intensive efforts to gain access in more states could put him in a position to tip the election.

...
About the same time he learned of the parasite, he said, he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning, most likely from ingesting too much fish containing the dangerous heavy metal, which can cause serious neurological issues.

“I have cognitive problems, clearly,” he said in the 2012 deposition. “I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/us/rfk-jr-brain-health-memory-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qU0.XaTI.WiaeCe7CG7u6&smid=tw-share

---

This may explain some things.

FYI, link is gifted, so no paywall.

[True Dough]

1. Zombie candidate

The worm didn't have much material to work with in that cranium.

[et tu]

18. delete

[MontanaMama]

78. +1

Indeed.

[BaronChocula]

100. This is your brain on worm

Any questions?

[True Dough]

119. No sizzle!

All fake!

[colorado_ufo]

128. Likely died of starvation.

[Lochloosa]

2. They were wrong. Its still alive and feeding.

[whopis01]

25. No - I think it starved to death some time ago. n/t

[LiberalFighter]

109. It got poisoned by his heroin infected brain.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. That blank stare is a clue. /nt

[markodochartaigh]

4. Sounds like cysticercosis, not particularly uncommon,

or notable. And probably completely unrelated to the psychological problems for which Bob needs to be treated.

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/cysticercosis/index.html

[PatrickforB]

14. Wow. I'd never even heard of this. No wonder several religions have strictures against

eating pork.

Still...bacon and sausage taste good! Just gotta cook it right.

[Voltaire2]

33. You have to be living with pigs and humans

to get tapeworms from pigs. The pigs are just a transit path for human to human infections.

[womanofthehills]

126. 40 thousand Americans have brain parasites

A brain parasite infects millions of people. A new study reveals why most don't get sick.”

“Across the globe, many cat owners pick up a pet-linked parasite without ever knowing. In the United States alone, more than 40 million Americans are infected with Toxoplasma gondii — a brain parasite that's spread by eating undercooked, contaminated meat, drinking contaminated water, and yes, accidentally swallowing a bit of cat poop.

The parasite is one of the most common parasites on Earth, infecting up to a third of the world population. As of now, there's no way to tell exactly which route of transmission is how one individual becomes infected.

But we are getting closer to understanding why most infections don't result in symptoms (in rare cases, it can cause lasting damage). In a recent study, scientists discovered the immune cells that run crucial interference between Toxoplasma gondii and the brain. https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/cat-brain-parasite-immune-system

[Captain Zero]

134. Wrong thread to read with a bowl of chili here

I'm off to elsewhere.

[mgardener]

43. You can get it from other sources

Tapeworm eggs are spread through food, water, or surfaces contaminated with feces. ...

[Eyeball_Kid]

69. This does NOT sound like a tapeworm.

Tapeworms live in the alimentary canal, not the brain.

[StClone]

87. It's a bit more than that.

The tapeworm's life cycle takes different forms, not just the "adult" intestinal stage.

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/cysticercosis/index.html

[LeftInTX]

92. This article was posted on DU a few weeks ago.

A Florida man suffering from persistent migraines was found to have festering tapeworm eggs in his brain

A habit of eating undercooked bacon and poor hygiene lead to a nasty discovery.

A Florida man suffering from persistent migraines was found to have festering tapeworm eggs in his brain, according to a report published in the American Journal of Case Reports.

Known as neurocysticercosis, the condition is very rare in the United States.

"It is historically very unusual to encounter infected pork in the United States," researchers wrote. "Our case may have public health implications."

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2024/03/14/tapeworm-eggs-found-in-florida-man-who-ate-undercooked-bacon/72973837007/

[LeftInTX]

94. Pork and shellfish were avoided because they eat feces.

If I lived back then, I would avoid them too.
Pigs were dispatched to garbage dumps.

I don't know why Christians in Europe started eating them.

[markodochartaigh]

97. "I don't know why Christians in Europe started eating them."

Thankfully I have never been truly hungry. But hunger was a real issue for my family members in my Grandparents' time. And very many of their grandparents actually starved (or more truthfully were starved) to death. When you are starving almost anyone will eat anything. And, genocide aside, much of humanity lived precariously close to great hunger much of the time.

[LeftInTX]

99. You're right. Good point.

My grandmother and her group once ate a camel that died of natural causes.
They knew the local Arabs wouldn't eat the meat, since it would not be halal.

[padah513]

123. Yes, trichinella round worm

[mopinko]

5. all that plus roids.

‘natural testosterone supplement’ tend to contain roids.

[Jose Garcia]

91. And his past heroin use

[mopinko]

102. the man has a head full of swiss cheese at this point.

[marble falls]

6. It was dead, but it wasn't a worm. It was his conscience ...

... but seriously, does anyone really want a candidate with self admitted "clearly cognitive problems"?

[mgardener]

44. Republicans seem to have no problems with...

Cognitive decline
Or
Lack of morals / ethics.

Not the deal breaker it once was...

[marble falls]

51. It shows they think this country rolls on it's own and that seats have no need for expertise. Momentum ...

... carries the nation on and all they really are elected to do is loot.

[SupportSanity]

60. Actually, they might be looking for those specific 'qualities',

[Marthe48]

7. Let's compare

President Biden has a working brain, rfk has brain damage, and traitor has no brain.

With criteria like this, my vote is for President Biden.

[bottomofthehill]

8. It's the Heroin

He is a reformed junkie who still has the dreams. Not the guy I want with the launch codes. There are lots of great jobs for former junkies, being able to start WW III should not be one of them.

[TexasBushwhacker]

58. I agree

I have a brother who lost over 20 years to alcohol and drugs. I don't know how long RFK Jr abused drugs, but in my experience, the former addict never gets those years back in terms of brain development. They aren't maturing, growing, learning to deal with the world like a mature person.

Look at Mike Lindell. He's like a teenage boy, brain wise, in an adult's body. Then they get angry when the rest of the world doesn't see things the way they do.

[womanofthehills]

124. He said he used drugs from when his father died to age 29

He’s been in AA for over 40 yrs & said he still goes to daily meetings.

[TexasBushwhacker]

133. Daily? Geesh

He should hang out with Woody Allen with his psychoanalysis that's gone on for decades.

[LiberalFighter]

95. It looks like he was responsible for his brother's death due to drugs.

[Xavier Breath]

9. Are we sure that worm was alone?

Junior's behavior suggests a team effort.

[Aussie105]

10. Is this a legit story?

And is it from 2012, 12 years ago?

Why bring it up now?

More importantly: Will he be more appealing to voters who prefer a President with a defective brain?

[PunkinPi]

11. Answering your questions...

Yes, it was posted today. The man is trying to run for POTUS, seems relevant.

[marble falls]

36. It's relevent and important. I'd rec this OP seven or eight times if I could!

[live love laugh]

12. Why not bring it up now?

[marble falls]

37. Cause he's running for President and brain damage is more important banging porn stars.

[AZ8theist]

106. And yet the one banging porn stars has much, MUCH more brain damage.....

[womanofthehills]

125. He didn't - the NYT's did

He responded

[Think. Again.]

22. Now, when he's running for president, is probably the only time...

...it's appropriate to be publicly discussing his personal cognitive issues.

[Marcuse]

26. That makes it our business.

[Think. Again.]

27. Yep.

[intheflow]

31. First of all, the date is literally written into the link.

Secondly, Noem shot Cricket 20 years ago and yes, it’s still fucking relevant.

[LeftInTX]

89. Noem was my first thought..LOL

There are just some things you don't tell people

[emulatorloo]

84. It is being brought up now because he claims he is more "Mentally Fit" and "Youthful" than Biden or Trump.

RFK Jr says a worm ate part of his brain and then died inside his head

Anti-vaccine activist RFK Jr said he also suffered mercury poisoning from eating too much fish: ‘I loved tuna fish sandwiches. I ate them all the time’

05/08/23 Washington, DC
2 hours ago


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/rfk-jr-dead-worm-brain-b2541521.html

But he received a second opinion from a doctor in New York who told him the cause of his problems — and a dark spot on his brain scans — was a dead parasite.

Mr Kennedy testified that the doctor had told him that the dark spot on the scans “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died”.

He also said in his 2012 deposition that he has suffered from mercury poisoning that has caused neurological issues.

“I have cognitive problems, clearly,” he said at the time. “I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me.”

RFK Jr, the son of late New York senator and attorney general Robert F Kennedy, told the Times in an interview that the poisoning was caused by eating too much fish.

“I loved tuna fish sandwiches. I ate them all the time,” he said.

The admission raises questions about RFK Jr’s health at a time when the 70-year-old environmental lawyer and long-shot presidential hopeful has used his relative youth compared to his major-party rivals, President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump, to argue that he is healthier and fitter than both to run the country.

[NanaCat]

112. I can't get over that he's 70

And has the bloody cheek to trash BIden over his age, as if 12 years is all that different at that stage. Maybe if he were in his 50s or 60s, he could speak about the age issue, but not when he's 70 himself. That's just stupid.

[ejbr]

13. I've always said

he had brain worms. By all means, take your ivermectin

[RAB910]

15. The worm died of starvation

[NNadir]

20. You win the thread.

[Docreed2003]

16. "I have cognitive problems clearly..." so vote for me

[CousinIT]

17. Well. That + mercury poisoning explains a lot.

Cognitive ability, weirdness about vaccines and conspiracy theories, and why he's so different from his family.

Seriously. He's impaired. Not by age but by other factors.

[2naSalit]

19. That WAS his brain!!!

[surfered]

21. Maybe a scan of Trump's brain should be done.

[marble falls]

38. Looking for something nonexistant might blow the scanner up!

[Auggie]

23. Why would you share this? It's a gift for comedians -- an easy punch line.

[Eugene]

35. It's going to come out as a matter of public concern, so spin it the best you can.

Getting caught trying to conceal it would only make it worse.

[Joinfortmill]

46. Because, as he said, he has cognitive issues

[marble falls]

49. So brain damage from parasites and mercury poisoning is too private for anyone to know about. RFK Jr ...

... has described himself as "clearly cognitively challenged" and that he gets "lost" and locks up.

That's a terrible thing to happen to anyone. But that doesn't mean he is capable to hold the office. He brought it up and I admire his courage to discuss such a thing. It's really no fodder for comedians. It's not funny.

I really hate what's happened to Neom and Cricket. We've taken a serious example of animal cruelty and turned it into a joke. Because of this joke status, if Neom had only kept low and didn't do interviews this would blown away. But making it a joke like we have, has turned it into a sort of normal that voters will over time will begin to overlook. Keep the issue up - animal cruelty is a real issue, and something I'd really like to know about someone. But it is no joke. Psychopaths start out on animals and just because they don't move on to humans doesn't mean they aren't psychopaths anymore.

And just because someone has brain damage and admits to it doesn't mean the damage will have no effect on his abilities to carry out the duties of an elected office. And we need to discuss it and not make fun of it.

[Auggie]

56. In your dreams. Opportunists will be all over this.

Look no further than this thread.

[marble falls]

73. So we should all join in the joke and/or ignore the seriousness of the self reported conditions. I'm just not going ...

... to be them just because all the other kids are doing it.

I think maybe you thought this was aimed at you and that was not my intention at all. We folks with ethics need to be together more now than ever before, whether we agree on specific issues or not.

[ColinC]

24. This checks out

[TexLaProgressive]

28. Can't wait until the cartoonist get on this, but meanwhile

[usaf-vet]

29. Well this is the guy to vote for! He has all the problems that Trump has and then some. But he younger than Biden.

That seals the deal—short and long-term memory loss.

He's telling us what his defense will be if ever impeached or indicted. His answer to all questions is I don't recall.

[303squadron]

30. Its a Ceti eel and it has control of his brain

[Zambero]

32. When the host organ dies, the parasite dies

No brain, no worm.

[Beck23]

34. And mad hatter's disease

Hatters used to get mercury poisoning. It was called mad hatter's disease. The worm is revealing. That explains a lot. He is not all there.

[BluesRunTheGame]

39. Dead Worm/Pence Fly 2024!

[mahina]

85. Ha!

[MFM008]

40. A worm?

A worm...... A maggot and Biden .....
Who you gonna call......

[yardwork]

41. He's delusional.

[Bluethroughu]

42. Sounds like under cooked pork.

Half brained by parasite. It's best he bows out.

We know what happens if we get another one of those residents.

1. More than a million unnecessary deaths.
2. Major recession
3. National debt exploded
4. More tax cuts for the rich

[riversedge]

53. The CDC says it does NOT come from undercooked pork......

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/cysticercosis/index.html

[Joinfortmill]

45. I feel like we're in surreal land, people.

[IronLionZion]

47. Something has eaten his brain

[VGNonly]

48. I kept waiting

for The Onion or Borowitz report.

[greatauntoftriplets]

55. Same here.

[Wounded Bear]

50. Throw him in a volcano...

v

v

[underpants]

65. May you live to be a thousand years old, sir.

Luggage Salesman: This is our premier steamer trunk, it's all handmade, only the finest materials. It's even watertight, tight as a drum. If I had the need, and the wherewithal, Mr. Banks, this would be my trunk of choice.
Joe Banks: I'll take four of them.
Luggage Salesman: May you live to be a thousand years old, sir.

[Wounded Bear]

66. Probably the worst movie Tom Hanks ever made...

but it still has memorable moments in it.

[Aristus]

70. Well, on the plus side, it did have three Meg Ryans,

including one with dark hair and brown eyes. Sweet!

[Wounded Bear]

72. True dat! She was a cutie back in the day...

overdid the surgery lately, though.

[underpants]

81. I love it

When Abe Vigoda showed up as the Island Chief o lost it.

Joe’s boss (in your post) was the epitome of some Army Sgt’s and my fellow soldiers picked up on it right away. “I didn’t say that. If I’d said that I’d be wrong”. To a T.

[Farmer-Rick]

52. Wow the man has many serious

Medical issues: a worm in his brain, a heart condition, mercury poisoning, hepatitis C and spasmodic dysphonia.

(A neurological disorder that causes his vocal cords to squeeze too close together and explains his hoarse, sometimes strained voice. Causing him to get a titanium implant between his vocal cords.)

[orleans]

54. thank you for the gifted link nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

57. Alternate headline: Brain Worm Dies After Finding No Sustenance

Link to tweet

[liberalla]

74. Like your comment!

Poor worm... just picked the wrong brain.

[rubbersole]

59. Poor worm.

Went to join Cricket.

[twodogsbarking]

61. Are they sure it just wasn't one of those stringy boogers?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

62. Reminds me: the only thing worse than finding a worm in your apple, ...

... is finding half a worm in your apple.

Maybe RFK Jr found a worm in his half-brain.

[ificandream]

63. I suspect he'll be dropping out of the race shortly.

Hopefully he doesn't endorse Trump.

[Freethinker65]

64. Don't get too caught up in this. Biden had brain surgery for aneurysms.

Biden never tried to hide it (the surgery was successfully done years ago to lessen the risks of bursts/stokes), but I am sure many older voters have forgotten about it, and many younger voters are unaware.

The current qualifications, competence, character, and capabilities of candidates is what voters should be focused on.

[VGNonly]

67. Check please!

[Orrex]

68. That poor worm!

[GreenWave]

71. Nurse suspected of inserting Goa'uld in RFK Jr.'s brain...

[BeyondGeography]

75. Ok, so what's Trump's excuse?

[RandySF]

76. JHC Biden is the only normal human being running for POTUS.

[Teenage Dirtbag]

77. Explains so much.

[MistakenLamb]

79. must've starved

[Hassin Bin Sober]

80. So, he literally has brain worms. As I suspected.

I reiterate my no thank you.

[angrychair]

82. How does this play out

"hi, I'm RFK jr and they just removed a worm that was eating my brain. Vote for me for president in November"

Let me be unequivocally clear: if they find a parasite in your brain that forever disqualifies you from running the most powerful nation in modern history.

[elias7]

83. Cognitive deficit as he describes should disqualify him for president

[Lunabell]

86. WTF? This isn't The Onion?

Wow, this explains a lot.

[LeftInTX]

88. Is this his Kristi Noem moment? "Hey, I got brain worms and I'm proud!"

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

104. It's all part of the 'Brain Worms for RFKj' movement n/t

[prodigitalson]

90. I can't stop laughing at this

is that wrong?

[Kennah]

93. Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I'm just gonna eat brains--BLEECH!

[LudwigPastorius]

96. So, a worm ate part of his brain, but he "got better"?

Where did he get his medical degree again?

[BlueKota]

98. Well that might explain a thing or two! 😁

[Lulu KC]

101. I've been out of town

I'm catching up on news. I'm thinking The Onion? Andy Borowitz? YIKES!!!! DEAD WORM IN BRAIN! Yes, explains a lot!

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

103. Made me think of The Wall

[PunkinPi]

108. Also, "Hey You" by Pink Floyd...

"and the worms ate into his brain"

[LetMyPeopleVote]

105. Worm dies after ingesting RFK Jr's toxic anti-vax conspiracy riddled brain.

Link to tweet

[Xipe Totec]

107. The worm died of mercury poisoning. nt

[Aussie105]

110. Damaged brain tissue can't grow back.

But other parts of the brain can form new connections and learn to replace lost functions - like regaining speech, motor functions.

Some of the higher order functions, like logical reasoning and deductive skills may never return.

And RFK Jr shows plenty of signs that he can do 1+ 1 = 3.

He needs to be in a safe place where his 1 + 1 =3 can't harm anyone. And the Oval Office isn't that place.

[orangecrush]

111. One hungry worm

Didn't leave much.

[Marcuse]

113. That's got to hurt.

[LoisB]

114. So why is he running for President?

[haele]

115. The parasitic worm is usually from undercooked pork or chicken.

That's been sitting out too long.
Someone's BBQ gone bad.
Sad to hear that, as for the mercury poisoning, he needed to have been eating canned tuna sammies almost every day during the 50's through the 70's to get that much poisoning. I had a lot of canned tuna (as did my parents) during the 60's and 70's and it didn't affect me a quarter as much as the leaded gasoline in all the cars probably did. Peanut butter, canned tuna corned beef hash, and deviled ham/deviled chicken were the survival proteins when one was poor growing up. Could always find canned meat and veggies in the dinged can/expiration date bins around 2 for a nickel (not the PB).

Haele

[smb]

116. A Mercury-Poisoned Drug-Addled Worm-Eaten Brain... Just What People Want In A President nt

[calimary]

117. Oh for Pete's Sake!

We REALLY want, OR need a President with cognitive problems? Memory loss - both short term and long term? SERIOUSLY???

[COL Mustard]

118. I think that explains a lot.

The worm apparently ate all of the good parts of his brain.

[red dog 1]

120. I can't believe he's the same guy I used to hear on the progressive radio show, "Ring of Fire" with Mike Papantonio,

RFK Jr. was the original co-host of the show and continued to co-host the show:
"until the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world in 2020, when his outspoken anti-vaccine views put him at odds with the other hosts and most listeners, leading to his departure." (Wikipedia)

Now, "he hangs around intellectually flatulent Steve Bannon and wacky Putin buddy Gen. Michael Flynn, and his name was floated recently as a potential running mate for Trump.
Trump/Kennedy 2024? What a perfect pairing! Both are utterly unqualified, delusional, vain and would be a catastrophe for the country each in his own special way." (S.F. Chronicle, 2/12/2024)

[mahina]

121. Bob/ Dead Worm 2024

nope

[Martin68]

122. Whatever it is, the man is damaged goods with a semi-functioning brain.

Looks to me like he has developed a cult following. Cults view this kind of weirdness as a sign of special powers.

[magicarpet]

127. Story is,.....

The worm is still feasting on it....

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

129. I've seen this film...

[Aussie105]

130. The universal problem with a lot of Republicans -

is that they feel that a big dose of ethics, humanity, humility and intelligence comes magically with the job of POTUS, or some lower ranked political job.

Unfortunately, these are personality traits you need to bring to the job, they don't come to you because of the job.

Worm-brain man thought that becoming POTUS would heal him.
Brain dead Donald thought the POTUS job would make him a classy and likeable person.

Both bigly wrong!

(I imagine Hillary, Joe and Barak knew that though. You bring it yourself. Prerequisites for the job.)

[DET]

131. Where is Tom Wolfe When You Need Him?

Dead, of course. But Christopher Buckley is still alive. Someone is going to make a fortune writing the iconic novel of our unbelievable times.

[Grokenstein]

132. Professor Farnsworth explains why the brain worm was dead: