Man, 29, quits his job after learning he will develop rare form of dementia that his mom died from
Topics: Health, Mental Health, TikTok, Social Media
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@theftdbrothers
Topics: Health, Mental Health, TikTok, Social Media
Warning: This article contains discussion of dementia and abortion which some readers may find distressing
One half of The FTD Brothers has opened up about the 'incredibly tough burden' he's been carrying and why he ultimately decided to quit his job.
Jordan and Cian Adams - who go by The FTD Brothers - lost their mom to frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2016 and later found out they both carry the genetic mutation too.
In a video shared to social media on Sunday (March 9), Jordan explained: "I'm a 29-year-old who recently quit his full-time job. I didn't quite my job for reasons like most - getting out the corporate world to find a purpose - my purpose came from heartbreak."
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Jordan said his 'life was changed forever' when his mom was diagnosed with 'a rare type' of FTD at the age of 47 in June 2010.
FTD is an uncommon type of dementia which tends to start at a younger age - you may've heard of it as a result of actor Bruce Willis also having been diagnosed.
Jordan continued: "And ever since that day life has thrown more and more s**t at me.
"It's been incredibly difficult to manage - at 15 years of age, I was my mom's primary carer along with my two siblings and my dad.
"We cared for mom for six years in the family home until she eventually lost her life in March 2016 at the age of of 52."
After Jordan's mom passed away when he was just 23, Jordan revealed he found out he's 'a carrier of a genetic mutation which means [he] too will live with FTD'.
"I'll experience symptoms in my forties and start to lose my life by the time I'm 45," Jordan says. "As you can imagine, that's an incredible tough burden to carry and it's the main reason why at 29 years of age, I've decided to quit my job, get out the rat race and try and change the world of dementia."
Since his diagnosis in 2018, Jordan has been embarking on 'running challenges,' beginning with a marathon, in a bid to turn the negativity into 'something incredibly positive' and try to 'find a cure for all types of dementia'.
However, after completing his first challenge, he found out his brother was 'diagnosed with the same gene mutation' and will also 'die of FTD' around his 40s.
Jordan explains he and his wife also made the decision to end their pregnancy because they found out the child 'was a carrier of the genetic mutation' too.
Despite the 'last 15 years of [his] life' being 'pretty s**t,' Jordan hopes posting videos online of his life the last 12 months can 'show people that no matter your circumstances, no matter the cards your dealt with, you have a choice at how you play your hand'.
"I wanna show people that you can still be overwhelmingly positive. You can still enjoy life and get the most out of every moment that we have and that it is a privilege to be here in the first place."
Having quit his job, Jordan is now 'taking this mission of advocacy full time' and has plans with his brother to run a marathon in every county in Ireland in 2026.
Jordan resolves: "The big dream is to run coast-to-coast America for a cure and take this mission global but more than anything, I want to create a legacy so when the time comes and I leave this Earth, people remember The FTD Brothers and the foundation we set up."
To support The FTD Brothers on their journey, you can donate to their GoFundMe.