Controversial psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson spent nearly a month in intensive care and was “near death” while battling pneumonia and sepsis this summer, his daughter revealed in an emotional video update.
“This summer has been exceedingly difficult,” Mikhaila Peterson said in a YouTube post this week, describing the 62-year-old Canadian author’s prolonged health crisis and calling the past few months “terrifying” for their family.
Mikhaila said her father had been treated in the intensive care unit after he was diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis.
She said that her dad’s latest health issues came after he had dealt with a “host of neurological issues this summer that we believe stem from SERS, which is chronic inflammatory response syndrome, due to decades of mold exposure.”
She said the condition triggered a series of “neurological symptoms” that worsened after Peterson cleaned out his late father’s basement earlier this year.
“We don’t have a better explanation for his neurological symptoms at the moment other than spiritual attacks,” she said.
The update marks the first detailed account of Peterson’s condition since his daughter announced in August that he was taking “time off of everything.”
“He’s been suffering for the last number of years with unexplainable neuropathy and weakness, amongst other symptoms,” she said.
“After almost a month in the ICU, he’s been moved out to a less urgent floor. Praise God for that.”
Mikhaila said her father is now improving, but his recovery remains uncertain.
“We’re still in the midst of this but now we’re seeing improvements daily,” she said.
“The timeline for his full recovery is hard to tell at the moment.”
She added that Peterson’s treatment is complicated because “he can’t take most medications without suffering from severe paradoxical reactions, which limits treatment options.”
Mikhaila, 32, described a series of personal emergencies that struck the family this summer, including a medical scare involving her newborn daughter.
“In August, the day Dad was brought to a hospital by ambulance, my newborn Audrey was also brought to a hospital by ambulance within hours of each other,” she said.
The baby, who was previously treated for pulmonary hypertension, has since stabilized.
“Every single day this summer and now fall has been like watching a movie,” she said, pausing through tears.
“I miss my dad. My brother misses his dad. My mom misses her best friend and husband.”
Mikhaila, who co-hosts her father’s Daily Wire program “Answer the Call,” said Peterson’s hospitalization followed weeks of worsening health linked to his immune system disorder.
She said the illness has been “heartbreaking and brutal” but stressed that her father’s condition is improving.
“He’s hopefully recovering,” she said. “He’s out of the ICU so that’s the main thing. … Praise God for that.”
Peterson, who joined The Daily Wire in 2022, rose to global prominence after publicly opposing Canada’s Bill C-16, which added gender identity protections to the country’s human-rights code.
His 2018 self-help book, “12 Rules for Life,” sold millions of copies worldwide and fueled a speaking tour that made him one of the most recognizable conservative intellectuals in the English-speaking world.
But his health problems have repeatedly forced breaks from public life.
In 2019, Peterson sought treatment for benzodiazepine dependence and later developed akathisia, a severe neurological condition causing restlessness and agitation.
He was treated in Russia and Serbia before returning to Canada in 2020.
In recent months, Mikhaila said Peterson’s immune issues have caused extreme sensitivities to food and medication, a pattern she said traces back years.
She has attributed those symptoms to SERS, a disputed diagnosis that she and her father believe is linked to mold exposure.
Mikhaila also framed her father’s recent ordeal as both physical and spiritual.
“Given we think there’s a spiritual element at play here, we believe the right way to fight back is to keep going and push harder,” she said.
“Life isn’t necessarily supposed to get easier when you’re doing the right thing, and I can see God’s hand throughout this.”
“But it’s a lot to handle.”
Peterson’s family-run education venture, Peterson Academy, continues to operate during his recovery.
The online learning platform, launched in 2024, offers video-based courses centered on philosophy, literature and religion.
Mikhaila said she and others on Peterson’s team are maintaining his projects while he recuperates and that they plan to release his lecture tour, “We Who Wrestle with God,” free on YouTube.
Mikhaila ended her 13-minute video by thanking supporters and emphasizing her family’s faith.
“We’re relying heavily on the Lord through this and seeing miracles around us,” she said.
“It’s been overwhelming, but it looks like — and we’re praying that — things are headed in the right direction.”
No timetable has been set for Peterson’s full return to public life. His daughter said she will post another update “when we have more information.”
Read the full article here