Jack Hanna battles Alzheimer's disease, wife Suzi says 'he just stopped remembering who I was in all ways'
COLUMBUS, MONTANA: Jack Hanna, who hosted multiple animal-themed television shows and was frequent on late-night talk shows, is suffering from Alzheimer's. The 76-year-old was diagnosed with the disease in 2019, and now as per reports, he does not recognize his family members.
Hanna served as a director at Columbus Zoo for 42 years until 2020 when he retired. Before the Alzinmers diagnosis, Hanns hosted syndicated Emmy-wining TV shows 'Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures' from 1993 to 2008, 'Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild,' which started in 2007, and 'Jack Hanna’s Wild Countdown,' which ended in 2020. He was also well known for animal demonstrations on talk shows hosted by Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and James Corden.
'He just stopped remembering who I was in all ways'
"The Jack people knew isn't here anymore, but pieces of my husband are," Suzi, who has been married to Hanna since 1968, said. She added, "And I'm going to hang onto them for as long as I can. He just stopped remembering who I was in all ways," as reported by Columbus Dispatch. “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.”
Suzi takes care of Jake without any help
Jake has to take several medications multiple times a day to combat his Alzheimer's symptoms. To track those and make sure he consumes them is the job his wife Suzi performs without fail. As per the interview, Suzi isn't allowing healthcare providers to help her but does it all by herself even when her daughters are not there.
'People will think I’m dumb, Sue'
Elsewhere in the interview, Suzi says despite the diseases, “the showman is still in there somewhere.” She says “Jack loved making people laugh as much as he loved taking care of animals," Suzi recounted it as Jack still has one habit of acting as a Santa Clause in the house. Suzi revealed Jack was worried about the public finding out about his health issues. He feared his career will be over as he wasn't ready to stop working. “People will think I’m dumb, Sue,” Jack said as he was diagnosed. “We can’t tell anyone, Sue. Promise me.” Suzi vowed to her husband she would keep the diagnosis secret.
In the months preceding the diagnosis, Jack would forget where he was or what he was doing his family and friends said. When he got on stage for his touring animal exhibitions, he would often forget names and sometimes specifics about the animals that had been a part of his life. Now, the TV personality apparently only knows his wife, his dog Brassy and sometimes his eldest daughter Kathaleen.
'He took care of me all those years'
“My husband is still in there somewhere,” Suzi said. “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.” The Hannas want to tell this story as it is important to spread the word about this disease. “If this helps even one other family, it’s more than worth sharing dad’s story,” Kathaleen said. “He spent a lifetime helping everyone he could. He will never know it or understand it, but he is still doing it now."