Rep. Jennifer Wexton will not seek reelection as diagnosis changes
Wexton was diagnosed this summer with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological condition for which there is no cure
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) promised this spring to persevere as she revealed a Parkinson’s diagnosis that stilted her movements and slurred her speech, hurdles she hoped to overcome while serving a competitive Northern Virginia district.
But as Wexton, 55, failed to respond to treatments as hoped, this summer she found herself confronting a more serious diagnosis: progressive supranuclear palsy. Her instinct — the same thing that propelled her from the state Senate to Congress — was to fight.
“Can I still run for reelection?” she recalled asking her doctor, as they looked at the distinctive hummingbird shape on her brain scan that changed everything — again.
“Why would you want to?” the doctor replied.
The rare neurological disorder — often mistaken for Parkinson’s because the early symptoms are similar — typically progresses more rapidly, does not respond as well to treatment and has no cure. Faced with the reality that her condition will likely only worsen, Wexton said she will not seek a fourth term next year, choosing instead to spend her remaining years with her family.
more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/09/18/jennifer-wexton-parkinsons-diagnosis-progressive-supranuclear-palsy/?
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