The Columbus Dispatch recently released a profile to describe the deteriorating mental state of famed zookeeper and conservationist Jack Hanna, 76. Hanna, famous for his conservation shows and late-night appearances, was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s in 2019. According to the profile, Hanna, who spent the majority of his career in Columbus, OH, no longer recalls having ever been to the city. He mainly only remembers his wife, Suzi, his dog Brassy, and Kathaleen, the oldest of his three daughters. He and his wife are living quietly in Montana now, with Hanna spending most of his days sitting on the porch. “My husband is still in there somewhere. There are still those sweet, tender moments – you know, pieces of him that made me and the rest of the world fall in love with him. It’s hard. Real hard some days. But he took care of me all those years, and so it’s my turn to take care of him,” said Suzi. Hanna’s middle daughter, Suzanne, painfully shared her own experience, saying, “He just stopped remembering who I was in all ways. Whether it was in person or by phone, he had no idea I was his daughter. I think it’s because he didn’t see me as much because I got married so young and I moved away.”

The family had initially kept Hanna’s condition private, with Hanna asking his wife to promise not to share the diagnosis. However, in 2021, after there were allegations that animals he showed were not from the zoo but were from essentially “animal prisons,” the media became very interested in the conservationist. Hanna’s family kept him unaware of the accusations, but when news outlets continued to want to hear Hanna’s own statement on the controversy, they felt forced to share his condition. Kathaleen called the whole experience “Hell.” “It was hell – absolute hell. He would never knowingly allow animals to suffer. They created a narrative around my dad that isn’t true, and he couldn’t defend himself. My dad would have faced all this head-on like he always did… He dedicated most of his life to protecting animals. It was all so heartbreaking.”

Kathaleen shared that she hoped the article would help others going through the same experience to know they are not alone. In a follow-up to the profile, The Columbus Dispatch revealed that the family had received many letters of support and gratitude. One woman by the name of Deborah Victor said the story resonated with her. “I could relate to everything the Hanna family is experiencing…it truly is the long goodbye,” she wrote. “As a caregiver to someone with this terrible disease, unless you have done this and gone through the phases of this condition, there is no one who can truly understand what happens to your life and your loved one’s life.”

Hanna isn’t the only public figure dealing with cognitive issues. The family of famed movie star Bruce Willis revealed that he had frontotemporal dementia last year. “Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately. We know in our hearts that—if he could today—he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families,” the family shared in a statement. The family has kept fairly private about Willis’s current condition.