Lizzie Hyman
Sun, August 16, 2026 at 9:34 AM UTC
NEED TO KNOW
Jordan and Cian Adams, who face a 99.9% chance of developing the same rare dementia that killed their mother, Geraldine, are using the years they have left to make a difference
Through endurance stunts, the brothers have raised nearly $4 million through their foundation, FTD Brothers, and built a social media following of more than 1 million
“We’re using our time to make as much of a racket as possible,” Cian Adams tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue
On the morning of April 26, Jordan and Cian Adams made their way to the starting line of the London Marathon. As runners settled into nervous anticipation, Jordan drew puzzled stares
The reason was impossible to miss: “I ran with a fridge on my back,” the older of the brothers, who completed 26.2 miles with a white 55-lb kitchen appliance in tow, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue
“We worried he was going to get injured,” Cian says. “But it turned out to be genius because it helped us get people’s attention.”
That was exactly the point. The stunt was one of multiple endurance challenges the brothers have taken on in recent years — including 33 marathons in 33 consecutive days and running the length of the United Kingdom — to raise awareness and research funds for frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a neurodegenerative disease that affects personality, speech and mobility and has no cure
After their mom, Geraldine Adams, died at just 52 from a form of FTD caused by a genetic mutation, their older sister, Kennedy Frampton, tested negative for the gene. Jordan and Cian, however, learned they each have a 99.9% chance of developing FTD, which is believed to affect hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, including, most famously, Bruce Willis
“The fridge represents the burden we both carry,” Jordan says, “living with a prognosis people don’t understand.”
Through the FTD Brothers, a foundation they started in 2025, and their Instagram and TikTok accounts, where they have more than 1 million followers, the brothers have raised approximately $4 million
“I’m 26, Jordan is 31. Based on family history, the disease will start to kick in around mid-40s,” Cian says. “We’re using our time to make as much of a racket as possible.”
‘Build a Legacy’
Growing up in Redditch, England, the Adams brothers remember a childhood filled with warmth and possibility, thanks to “two loving parents.” Their mother, known for her colorful style and love of R&B, was “the beating heart” of the family
Then, in 2008, Geraldine began experiencing “small but significant changes” in her behavior and personality, forgetting simple tasks and repeating questions
In 2010, when she was 47 and her boys were 15 and 9, she was diagnosed, and six years later, she died. “The thing I struggle with the most is that I don’t have good memories of when she was well,” Cian says
After discovering that some relatives had the same dementia diagnosis, the Adamses pursued genetic testing. In 2018 Jordan learned he carried the mutation; Cian received the same results in 2023
“When we found out they both have it, there was a lot of survivor’s guilt,” says Frampton, 32, who, like their father, does not have the dementia risk. “I think a lot about how my life is gonna look in 20 years when I’m the only one left.”
That same week in 2023, Jordan and his now-wife, Agnès, learned they were expecting — but testing showed the fetus carried the mutation, and they terminated the pregnancy
“It was the most difficult decision of our lives,” Jordan says. “We know it’s not something everyone will agree with, we respect that, but we felt it was in the best interest of the child.”
Rather than wait for the illness, the brothers got busy. Jordan left his design and painting job in 2025 to become an advocate through their foundation and with online content — future goals include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in October — while Cian, a physical therapist, supports their efforts when he can (and helps Jordan recover with massages)
“I made the decision to build a legacy that can continue even after dementia takes our lives,” Jordan says.
Neither regrets learning their fate. “I didn’t want to pass on the generational trauma,” Cian says
“My life was spiraling,” Jordan adds, “and this diagnosis gave me an opportunity to take control back. This is my calling.”
Read the original article on People
