Lima, Ohio is the most recent community to officially proclaim September 22-29 as FTD Awareness Week.

Resident Jack George successfully advocated for the official proclamation, which Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith presented on September 4th at a public meeting.

George feels strongly about advocating for FTD awareness because of his own circuitous diagnosis journey. “It took four years, eight different diagnoses, and many long road trips to many specialists for [me] to finally hear the words ‘behavioral variant frontotemporal degeneration’,” he said. George’s FTD diagnosis was finally confirmed in 2021; he carries a hereditary gene variant that causes both FTD and ALS.

In an interview with WLIO, a local TV station, George said that he wanted to share his FTD story “so people understand there is more to dementia than memory loss.

“The more you know about [FTD], the more you can [be alert for] the signs and symptoms in your own family,” he added.

FTD Awareness Week Proclamations

George has done much to advocate for FTD awareness in Ohio. On September 19^th, the Allen County Commissioners are going to issue a proclamation, and in August, Ohio issued a state proclamation. All three proclamations are due to George’s hard work and diligence.

To date, 34 states have either established an official FTD Awareness Week resolution or proclamation or are in the process of doing so, and Lima is the fourth municipality to establish a proclamation (joining Forney, Texas; Paris, Ill.; and Chester, N.J.).

Join AFTD as we commemorate World FTD Awareness Week beginning September 22. Each day has a different theme and a different opportunity for you to make a difference in your community. Visit AFTD’s website on September 22 to learn more.

If you are interested in increasing FTD awareness by urging your municipality or state to declare a resolution or proclamation in 2025, contact AFTD at advocacy@theaftd.org. We are happy to support you through the process.