Among the thousands of runners participating in this year’s London Marathon, one figure stood out in a way that was impossible to ignore. As 30-year-old Jordan Adams completed the race with a 25-kilogram (55-pound) fridge secured to his back, heads turned at every mile.
Yes, it was unusual, but the heartbreaking reason behind it gave the moment a depth that stayed with those who witnessed it.
Carrying more than weight
Adams took on the challenge to bring attention to frontotemporal dementia, a condition that has shaped his family’s life for years. His mother, Geraldine, was diagnosed in her 40s when Adams was a teen, and died after living with the illness for six years. Since then, multiple relatives have also been lost.
He and his brother Cian later learned they both carry the same genetic mutation.
“I am a carrier. I have a 99.9% chance of getting familial FTD. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when,” Adams told the BBC, according to the Bristol Post. “And I just want do as much as I can in the time that I have to help those living with dementia, those impacted by it, so that I leave this world, hopefully in a better place when dementia does take my life.”
The fridge was never about pure spectacle. It was meant to represent something less visible but viscerally felt nonetheless.
“Because that’s what it feels like sometimes – like you’re carrying something heavy that no one else can see. I’m doing this to make dementia visible,” Adams said, according to LAD Bible. “But more than that… to show you that whatever you’re carrying, you don’t have to carry it alone.”
A moment shared with thousands
Running a marathon under normal circumstances demands months of preparation. Doing so with added weight required an even more careful approach, from building strength gradually to repairing equipment when it failed during training.
Still, it was the atmosphere on race day that left the strongest impression. Cheers from the crowd helped carry him through the most difficult stretches, turning an intensely personal mission into something shared by many.
“Honestly, it felt like the whole of London was with me and I’ve never experienced anything like that. I probably never will [again] in my life,” Adams recalled.
What comes next
The finish line in London marked the start of another challenge. Within hours, Adams traveled to begin a 32-day run across Ireland, completing a marathon in each county alongside his brother.
Beyond raising awareness, Adams shared that the “FTD Brothers” had an additional goal: “to try and raise a million pounds before we die of dementia.” This money would go toward research and provide support for families affected by the illness.
“We’re on a mission because we have a clock kind of ticking against us, and we want to make as much of a difference in the next 10, 15 years that we have and the time that we have left,” Adams said.
Choosing how to move forward
Living with that knowledge hasn’t been easy. Adams has spoken openly online about the emotional toll of his diagnosis, including periods of depression and uncertainty about the future. What helped him through it most was the encouragement he received from those around him. He now aims to provide that kind of hope to others facing similar realities.
“Losing my mum the way I did changed everything,” he told the Irish Examiner. “Now being diagnosed myself, I had a choice and I chose to do something that shows life doesn’t stop here.”
How to help the mission
Donations to the FTD Brothers’ GoFundMe have already climbed rapidly as more people hear their story.
If you want to help, you can donate directly to the FTD Brothers’ GoFundMe page here. Every contribution, no matter the size, supports dementia research and resources for families facing the same diagnosis.
