Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan’s medical condition remained shrouded in mystery yesterday, as reports that he is seriously ill persisted despite rosy assurances from his organization.
The Washington Post reported yesterday that Farrakhan, who underwent emergency surgery this week related to a recurrence of prostate cancer, was in “very bad shape.”
He was flown to Washington from his Illinois home Tuesday night, bleeding and in great pain, the paper reported.
But Leonard Muhammad, Farrakhan’s son-in-law and chief of staff, gave a conflicting account, saying: “He is very stable and his condition has only improved.”
Muhammad had said on Wednesday that “the minister’s treatment continues to be successful and his prognosis is excellent.”
That same day, the Rev. Jesse Jackson gave a similarly optimistic outlook after visiting Farrakhan’s family at Howard University Hospital, saying Farrakhan’s surgery was “very successful.”
A spokesman for the hospital in Washington, D.C. – where tight security prevailed – declined to give Farrakhan’s condition or provide any details other than to acknowledge that he was a patient there.
The Washington Post reported that Farrakhan was undergoing radiation for a recurrence of the cancer, which was diagnosed in 1991, and said this week’s surgery marked the third time he’s been treated for the disease.
The newspaper also said the 65-year-old minister, his relatives and key aides seemed “shaken” by his condition and that Nation of Islam followers were worried and confused about reports of a relapse.
His doctor, Abdul Muhammad, said on March 19 Farrakhan’s prostate cancer was under control but he was suffering from a persistent viral infection.