Sandi Jackson Stands By Her Man

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 6, 2012 10:00PM

Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed has been filling the pages of the Bright One with Tips, Twaddle and exclusives lately. On Saturday Sneed had an interview with 7th Ward Ald. Sandi Jackson detailing how she's been coping since her husband, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., left his congressional duties June 10 to be treated for depression and gastrointestinal issues. That Jackson decided to speak to Sneed isn't surprising; politicians come calling to Sneed when they need a soft place to fall.

What Jackson gave Sneed was a timeline of events that finally provided some detail into the first days of her husband's treatment. (Cynics may say it took the Jacksons this long to agree on a narrative.) Jackson said that she's the one calling the shots on her husband's treatment and has been traveling between Chicago and the centers Rep. Jackson has been treated. She insisted that Rep. Jackson is not being treated for drug or alcohol abuse and added that while her husband was being treated at Sierra Tucson Treatment Center in Arizona a question was posed between depression and the Congressman's weight loss surgery. Rep. Jackson had a duodenal switch procedure, which involved removing a portion of his digestive tract, to lose weight in 2004. One of the disadvantages to the procedure is patients who have it done must take vitamin and mineral supplements.

While the details of Rep. Jackson's illness are slowly trickling out how his staff and family have handled his illness stand in contrast to the transparency of Sen. Mark Kirk, who has offered regular updates on his recovery from a January stroke, most recently with a video released Sunday. We don't want to sound skeptical of the congressman's illness as there's already stigma to overcome when it comes to recognition and proper treatment for depression. But if this timeline was known weeks ago there wouldn't be speculation.