TWO brothers from Redditch, who are at risk of developing dementia in their 40s, have been named finalists in the Mind over Miles category in this year’s JustGiving Awards after raising over quarter of a million pounds to help fund vital research into the disease.
Together Jordan, 30 and Cian Adams, 24, are on a mission to raise £1million.
In their fundraising journey so far, they have completed extraordinary challenges including running the entire length of the UK, running seven marathons in seven days, and completed 982 laps of their local athletic track to honour the 982,000 people living with dementia in the UK.
Jordan and Cian, who go by ‘The FTD Brothers’, grew up with their sister, Kennedy, and parents, Geraldine and Glenn.
In 2010, their mum Geraldine was diagnosed with early-onset frontotemporal dementia (FTD) at the age of 46, after years of symptoms and a long search for answers. She died in 2016, aged just 52.
FTD runs in the family due to a mutation in the MAPT gene. After their mum’s death, each sibling faced the difficult decision of whether to be tested.
Kennedy was found not to carry the gene, but results confirmed that Jordan and Cian had inherited it – meaning both will almost certainly develop symptoms in their early 40s and lose their lives within 10 years of diagnosis.
Despite this devastating reality, the brothers have dedicated themselves to fundraising and awareness for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Between them they have covered hundreds of miles through the heat, wind, rain, and exhaustion, raising over £288,000 for the charity to date.
The brothers have documented their fundraising journey on social media, attracting a following of 400,000 across Instagram and TikTok.
Jordan and Cian said: “This nomination means so much to us because it shows that no matter the cards that you’re dealt in life, you always have a choice of how you play your hand.
“We want to show people that no matter what you go through, you can choose to be positive and through it all, you can make a difference.
“This recognition marks a huge milestone upon our mission to raise £1 million before we die of dementia, and we wouldn’t be here today without our amazing community behind us.
“But more importantly, it takes us one step closer to treatments and a cure for all types of dementia.”
Jordan and Cian are one of 20 finalists to be up for a JustGiving Award this year, after over 18,000 nominations were made by the general public.
Pascale Harvie, President and General Manager of JustGiving, said: “With thousands of remarkable nominees this year, narrowing them down to just 20 finalists was no easy task. “Jordan and Cian’s courage is extraordinary.
“Faced with a daunting future, they’ve chosen to run towards hope, raising vital awareness and funding to help find a cure that could change millions of lives.
“We’re so honoured to have the FTD Brothers as finalists in this year’s awards.”
The winners will be chosen by the public, who have until Sunday 31 August to vote.
Visit page.justgiving.com/justgiving-awards-vote to vote for the winners of this year’s JustGiving Awards
Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/FTDbrothers to find out more about Jordan and Cian’s fundraising journey or to support their fundraising efforts.
