ATLANTA — U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) announced Wednesday that he has Parkinson's disease.
The senator made the announcement on his website, and added that it will not slow down his run for re-election in 2016.
Isakson said the symptoms first appeared in 2012, and after regular visits to a neurologist, he was officially diagnosed in 2013.
In a press statement, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said he knows Isakson will meet the health challenge head-on.
“In the 35 years that I’ve known Johnny Isakson, he has risen to meet — and overcome — every obstacle he’s encountered with determination and a smile on his face,” Deal said.
"There’s not a doubt in my mind that he and Diane will rise to meet this challenge. As he fights this battle, our distinguished senator will continue representing Georgians’ conservative principles in Washington."
Isakson’s treating neurologist, Thomas M. Holmes, MD, addressed the diagnosis on the website, as well.
“My most recent assessment of Senator Isakson was on May 27, 2015. Using physical examination and several accepted Parkinson's disease rating scales, I have concluded that Senator Isakson is in Stage 1.5 of 5 accepted stages of Parkinson's disease. This staging is indicative of his mild symptoms of Parkinson's disease."
