FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA: WALKING THE PATH

FOUR FAMILIES, FOUR STORIES

Sharing the Difficult Journey

You can learn more about the documentary below, but we wanted to make sure you at least get a glimpse of the film’s core: the four families affected who so courageously shared their stories for all to see and learn from, whether FTD hits close to home for you or not.

Moriarty Family

Husband to Carol and father to Molly and Katie, Gene Moriarty was first diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia way back in 1997. He’d lived with FTD for 8.5 years at the time we filmed the Moriarty family interviews. Gene was only 58 years old when he was diagnosed.

A well-known and much-loved member of the Beverly community on Chicago’s South Side (and a legend in the Southside Irish Rugby Football Club), Gene lived longer post-diagnosis than most people ever diagnosed with FTD.

He passed away 5 years after we filmed, at the age of 72, after living with the disease for nearly 14 years.

Caponigri Family

Wife to Paul and mother to Steve, David, Suzie, and Lisa, Barbara Caponigri had transitioned from amazing full-time mom into a teacher and tutor not long before her diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, at the tragically young age of 44.

It started with some slurred speech and repetition, as if the people she was talking to hadn’t heard what she’d said, and the occasional word order/sequencing issue as well.

Frontotemporal dementia began for Barbara in August of 2003, and by late 2005 when we interviewed the Caponigris, she was already very deep into her FTD journey.

She passed away in January 2006, less than 2 months after we filmed. Barbara was only 46 years old.

Isaacson Family

Husband to Nancy and father to his son Lee and daughter Karla, Lynn Isaacson was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2003, but he’d been gradually experiencing symptoms for a few years leading up to the official diagnosis.

Lynn and his family actually went through months of not knowing exactly what the problem was, with his wife Nancy left thinking to herself that it was early onset Alzheimer’s.

It was a long, frustrating road that finally led to the correct FTD diagnosis.

Lynn worked as a salesman, traveling most of the time during the week, then spending weekends at home with his family, before spending his last working years as a Systems Analyst for State Farm. His career was cut short by his diagnosis, and Lynn passed away at the age of 63 in 2009.

Treen Family

Husband to Lorraine and father to daughters Mary and Cheryl and son Herb Jr., Herb Treen Sr. started experiencing the symptoms of frontotemporal dementia at the age of 67.

The family received an initial, preliminary diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s, until Northwestern Hospital diagnosed Herb with primary progressive aphasia (a type of frontotemporal dementia) shortly thereafter.

For Herb, the first four years of his symptoms were relegated largely to speech problems, with thankfully little else changed. FTD eventually affected his comprehension too, however, and even his behavior as well.

He went from always being calm and on an even keel to someone instead very easily prone to irritation, significantly altering the final few years of his life and his interaction with family and friends.

Herb died in November of 2005, after 6 years of FTD. He was 73 years old.

For more information on this, click here to visit our About page, where we detail the full mission statement of this project and dive a little deeper.