The term “brain worms” gets thrown around a lot these days, but rarely do we get someone who has an actual, confirmed case of brain worms.


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Well, now we do, and the man is running for president.



According to the New York Times, back in 2010, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was experiencing memory loss and mental fogginess so severe that a friend grew concerned he might have a brain tumor.” As a result, he went to a doctor, only to be told that a worm may have eaten parts of his brain. The worm later died … in his brain.


But that wasn’t the only thing eating at RFK. Around this same time, he discovered a few other issues with his body, such as the fact that he was “diagnosed with mercury poisoning, most likely from ingesting too much fish containing the dangerous heavy metal, which can cause serious neurological issues.”


How much mercury did he have in his system, you ask? Only about 10 times the limit of what the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe. Geez, mercury poisoning *and* a brain bug? This dude’s just speedrunning the complete destruction of his consciousness, huh?




If you’re wondering how someone can get a brain parasite, Kennedy himself doesn’t know, and that’s not because the worm ate the part of his brain containing that memory. Instead, he simply states that he assumes he got it from Southeast Asia, while an expert interviewed by the NYT says that, from his description, it sounds like a pork parasite.


The mercury poisoning, in contrast, probably just came from eating too much fish. I know, not as exciting as an East-Asian pig bug.



While Kennedy complained in 2012 that he had both short- and long-term memory issues, he has since stated that he’s fully recovered from these problems. Later, when his presidential campaign was asked about whether having an actual worm in his brain hurts his cognitive function, a spokesperson responded, “That is a hilarious suggestion, given the competition.” I have to admit, it’s a good burn.




Regardless of how it happened or whether it’s still affecting him, there’s pretty much zero chance that RFK will win the presidency. Instead, we’ll be stuck with one of the two other guys — whose minds are doing just fine, I’m sure.