US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jnr says he thinks worm ate part of his brain
- The independent White House hopeful made the claim in a 2012 deposition as part of his divorce from his second wife, but says he has since recovered
- Kennedy had contracted the parasite during one of his trips in ‘Africa, South America and Asia’ as an environmental advocate, his campaign says
Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jnr believed he may have been attacked by a worm that ate part of his brain and then died inside his head, US media reported on Wednesday.
Kennedy, 70, made the claim in a 2012 deposition as part of his divorce from his second wife, according to The New York Times, which said the scion of the storied political clan reported severe memory loss and mental fog.
A New York surgeon who reviewed his brain scans told Kennedy his health issues could have been “caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died”, the White House hopeful reportedly told lawyers.
Kennedy – a nephew of former president John F. Kennedy and known informally as RFK Jnr – says he recovered from the 2010 incident and that he did not require treatment for the infection, according to the Times.
Around the same time, Kennedy – who has described a variety of ailments over the years, including an irregular heartbeat – said he was suffering from mercury poisoning, which can lead to neurological issues.