A battle with an aggressive and debilitating disease has led Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) to announce she will not seek reelection in 2024.
Fox News reported that last April, Wexton, 54, was told she had Parkinson’s, but recently was diagnosed with “Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsy,” a fast-moving and debilitating disease.
On Monday, Wexton announced that physicians had updated her diagnosis and after careful consideration, determined she should not seek reelection.
When first diagnosed last April, Wexton said she “knew that the road ahead would have its challenges” but expected to address “those challenges through consistent treatments and therapies.”
Wexton sought additional testing after noticing her symptoms were increasing after months of treatment and therapy. In her Monday statement, Wexton said:
“I wasn’t making the progress to manage my symptoms that I had hoped, and I noticed the women in my Parkinson’s support group weren’t having the same experience that I was.”
Wexton added: “I sought out additional medical opinions and testing, and my doctors modified my diagnosis to Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsey — a kind of ‘Parkinson’s on steroids.'”
The congresswoman expressed that her decision to not run in 2024 was very difficult.
“I’m heartbroken to have to give up something I have loved after so many years of serving my community,” Wexton said. “But taking into consideration the prognosis for my health over the coming years, I have made the decision not to seek reelection once my term is complete and instead spend my valued time with Andrew, our boys, and my friends and loved ones.”
Thinking of her constituents and the expectations of government officers, Wexton said that she has “always believed that honesty is the most important value in public service” and therefore wanted to share the update.
The congresswoman noted, “the new diagnosis is a tough one … [and there] “is no ‘getting better’ with PSP.”
Wexton stated she will “continue treatment options,” but noted that current treatments and medications “don’t work as well” in addressing PSP issues.
“While my time in Congress will soon come to a close,” Wexton said, “’I’m just as confident and committed as ever to keep up the work that got me into this fight in the first place for my remaining time in office — to help build the future we want for our children. I am truly humbled by the trust Virginians have placed in me, and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of our district.”
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