Rev. Jesse Jackson leaves the hospital for rehabilitation after surgery

Rev. Jesse Jackson leaves the hospital for rehabilitation after surgery

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Jackson, the 79-year-old civil rights leader, was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for abdominal discomfort on January 29, according to a statement from the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Chicago-based organization that Jackson runs.

“After medical observation, diagnosis and successful surgery, Rev. Jackson continued with a normal recovery,” said the organization.

Because of his Parkinson’s disease, Northwestern’s medical team transferred him to the Shirley Ryan Rehabilitation Center for a short period of exercise and therapy, Rainbow PUSH Coalition said.

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“Reverend Jackson is continuing his civil rights and organizational work and is excited. He should be home with his family soon,” added the statement.

The statement also said that Jackson wanted to thank “President Joe Biden who called and Vice President Kamala Harris who got a good conversation.”

Jackson, twice a Democratic presidential candidate, is an icon of the civil rights movement and worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr.

His son Jesse Jr. is a former US congressman who represented the 2nd district of Illinois.

Jackson was diagnosed in 2017 with Parkinson’s disease, an incurable neurological disorder. At the time, Jackson said his diagnosis was “a sign that I must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the progression of the disease.”

CNN’s Chuck Johnston contributed to this report.

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