Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) made a shocking announcement back in April 2023 when she revealed her Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. But just months later, the news took a grim turn as her doctors upgraded her condition to progressive supranuclear palsy, a far more aggressive disorder that rapidly deteriorates movement, balance, and speech.
Wexton had high hopes of nailing a third congressional term, but her worsening health prompted her to announce she’s stepping away from politics at the end of the year. “Cognitively, I’m the person I’ve always been,” the 55-year-old representative told PEOPLE. “But there are things that it takes me a lot longer to do.”
Initially misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s, her PSP diagnosis became clear after her symptoms progressed at an alarming rate. Movement issues like stiffness and balance problems are common in both diseases, but PSP can wreak havoc more quickly, leading to vision impairment and cognitive struggles that overshadow its earlier diagnosis.
Shortly after the 2022 election, Wexton noticed her fingers and toes involuntarily curling and clenching. The diagnosis hit like a ton of bricks: Parkinson’s. “I was like, ‘Parkinson’s? I can’t have Parkinson’s!’” she recalled. As a low-risk woman in her 50s, she couldn’t believe it. “It was hard for me to deal with it at first.”
Despite going public with the diagnosis last year, assuring her voters she planned to keep serving for “many years,” reality quickly set in. “Over the past few months, [Parkinson’s] has primarily affected my speech and how my mouth moves. You may notice I speak more quickly now. It also has affected how I walk and keep my balance… What Parkinson’s is not is an untreatable disease, a cognitive impairment, or a death sentence,” she said, urging people to empathize but not pity her.
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On #WorldParkinsonsDay, I'm here to share that I've been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
I'm doing well, and I want to bring about as much good from this diagnosis as I can—including here in Congress. pic.twitter.com/bvEwzZQbqp
— Rep. Jennifer Wexton (@RepWexton) April 11, 2023
Yet the disease’s progression was relentless. “I asked the doctor if I could still run for office again, and he said, ‘Well, why would you want to?’” she shared. The physician warned she’d soon need a walker, and many with her condition develop severe disabilities in just a few years. “It was very upsetting. I’m too young for this.”
In her chat with PEOPLE, she admitted the biggest challenge was not being as easily understood as before. “It’s such a big part of this job, whether it’s talking with colleagues on the House floor where it’s very loud, or participating in committee hearings, or being out around my district meeting with constituents.” Her voice grew soft and slurred, forcing her to rely on a text-to-voice feature on her iPad to communicate in meetings.
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Despite it all, Wexton feels blessed to have her job, though it’s hard to step away with unfinished goals. “I’m sad I’m going to be leaving. It’s going to be hard for me to be gone,” she confessed. But she’s determined not to wallow in self-pity. “I can’t just sit around and do nothing all day. It’d make me crazy,” she admits. “It’d make my family crazy too.”
Taking things one day at a time, Wexton aims to leave a legacy of relentless public service. “I hope they hear that I fought every day to make people’s lives better.”
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