How You Can Pray for DUCK DYNASTY Patriarch Phil Robertson
By Movieguide® Contributor
DUCK DYNASTY patriarch Phil Robertson is suffering from a series of health issues.
“On ‘Unashamed with the Robertson Family,’ Phil’s son, Jase, initially broke the news to fans that his father has the ‘early stages of Alzheimer’s’ and is ‘unable to sit down and have a conversation,’” Fox News reported.
“It’s like accelerated, and it’s causing problems with his entire body. And he has early stages of Alzheimer’s. So, if you put those things together, he’s really not doing well. He’s struggling,” he shared.
His son Willie Robertson told Fox that Phil is “battling a lot of different things right now.”
“He’s got a blood disorder, and then he’s got the mental issues that could be early [on-set] Alzheimer’s…and probably some ministrokes because of his blood,” Willie said. “And so, it could be some stroke stuff happening, that has happened. So, we’re still checking on all that. But then he also has a back issue, he’s fractured his back and that’s where the pain’s at. So, he’s kind of battling many different things at the same time.”
Phil also has an enlarged spleen. It’s possible it’s pushing on his stomach and causing him to lose appetite, Willie said. The biggest pain is Phil’s back issue, which is affecting his overall health.
“Especially in any situation where he’s getting up from the seated position or laying position, [it’s] super stressful for him, too, and very painful,” Willie said. “We’ve got several other things we’re looking at, trying some different medications. And, again, it’s a little bit more difficult with the pain issue, with the back, because that seems to dominate a lot of just his day-to-day is just from that, so we’re trying to get his back fixed up so that he can at least move around.”
“We’re trying several different things,” he continued. “We’ve seen many doctors and [are] just getting the best care we can and best things that we can and trying to figure out what’s next.”
Willie didn’t reveal which blood disorder Phil has, but it causes him to have “too much blood,” which means it’s thicker and possibly the reason for his mini-strokes.
“It’s hard with the mental stuff,” Willie said. “It’s hard to determine exactly what these causes are, especially with early signs, it’s hard to determine brain damage from stroke or is that Alzheimer’s?”
He added, “I know that’s in their family. Other siblings he has have had some of the same type of things as well. This has happened with just about all of his siblings that have passed away.”
Jase shared that Phil has no feeling of hunger and has to force himself to eat.
“There’s a couple of issues that we’re trying to get to the bottom of, which is maybe where some of that’s coming from. It could be the pain, but also with the blood disorder that has created some things that could be dealing with that as well,” Willie said.
But the family is not without hope.
Phil recently asked Willie to give him some more food that Willie made for him.
“He seems to like my cooking,” said Willie. “I do hamburgers, I’ve done a couple crawfish dishes. I’ve done all kinds of things that I think he’s always liked and eaten in the past, I don’t know if it’s as good as mom’s, but, I’m doing my best. [Phil isn’t able to] normally do what he normally does for his food.”
READ MORE: FANS’ PRAYERS GAVE PHIL ROBERTSON ‘REPRIEVE FROM THE PAIN,’ SON REVEALS
Phil’s kids noticed when his health first took a turn.
“We noticed some of the issues, and so we started taking him up to the doctor and trying to check out what exactly was wrong,” Willie said. “It’s hard to know whether someone’s just getting older and being forgetful or whether there’s actually some damage. And that’s just what we’ve been trying to figure out.”
“Some days are good and some days kind of aren’t so good” said Willie, but he tries to “have the most normal conversations we can with him.”
Phil’s wife, Miss Kay, also has some health issues giving her trouble. She broke her foot in the summer and isn’t as mobile as she was before.
Willie said Miss Kay wants to help more, but the couple mostly just spend time together.
“They’re both down there, in the same spot. They sit in their chairs and they’re doing the same thing,” he said of his parents, who’ve been married 60 years. “So, they’re keeping each other’s company for sure.”
“He can’t speak like he used to and teach his class, and so he’s kind of taking a break from that and his podcast and stuff. But it’s still strong and vital to him, he just can’t always make the words and thoughts that I think that he wants to make,” Willie said.
Willie shared on Instagram Dec. 9 that though Phil can’t speak well, he can still communicate.
“In fact, [he can communicate] in a more loving and reflective way than I have ever witnessed before. A true legend throughout his life, he somehow is still a legend, even in his humbled state,” Willie said.
Phil’s faith is still a priority for him.
“His faith is such an important part of his life. And life is short and temporary, and he’s always known that,” Willies said. “And we’ve always had such an eternal perspective, really, on life itself. We’re not sad, we realize this is, you know, these are things that happen on this earth, and we deal with them.”
“In these times, that’s where the faith component really steps up,” Willie said. “This is what we’re about, this is what he’s living for and for the hope that there’s something beyond. And so, and he’s definitely a testament to that, even where he’s at in life right now.”
“But who knows? God could do some amazing things,” Willie said. “I know there’s a lot of prayers going up. And so it wouldn’t surprise me if he has a turn and ends up doing great, so you just never know.”
Phil’s granddaughter, Sadie Robertson Huff, recently shared that she feels sad but yet so grateful for her “Papaw” and the man he is.
She said, “I’m so proud to be his granddaughter. I’m so proud to have learned how to love the word, honor the word, and teach the word from him. I’m so glad that I grew up in a family where it was completely normal for strangers to have a meal in our home, and get baptized in the river before they left because to Papaw Phil that was just natural!”
READ MORE: PRAY: DUCK DYNASTY’S PHIL ROBERTSON DIAGNOSED WITH ALZHEIMER’S
