Jack Hanna’s Family Opens Up About His Struggle With Alzheimer’s

Life with Alzheimer’s disease can be grueling. Not only is it hard for the person experiencing the disease, but it can also be heartbreaking for that person’s family members and friends as well. It can be lonely, too, as people may not understand the struggles you’re going through.

Recently, the Hanna family opened up about Jack Hanna’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, and their honesty is touching the lives of people around the world.

Many people know Jack Hanna, the former director of the Columbus Zoo, for his many appearances on television.

He’d bring animals to his interviews and educate the public, such as in the clip below from Good Morning America:

Eventually, he started his own show: Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild.

Sadly, 76-year-old Jack Hanna is no longer able to be in the public eye due to the progression of Alzheimer’s.

The Hanna family wrote on his website that he was diagnosed with Dementia back in 2021, but it quickly progressed to an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. They said, “His condition has progressed much faster in the last few months than any of us could have anticipated. Sadly, Dad is no longer able to participate in public life as he used to, where people all over the world watched, learned and laughed alongside him.”

“While Dad/Jack is still mobile, his mind fails him, the light in his eyes has dimmed, and we miss who he was each and every moment of the day,” they said.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, Jack Hanna’s daughter Kathaleen said that they spoke publicly about his diagnosis and their struggles to hopefully help others going through something similar.

She said: “Our wish is that this helps someone else. We want those struggling with Alzheimer’s disease to know they aren’t alone. I know that’s what my dad would want too.”