'Duck Dynasty' family says Phil Robertson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease



Prayers are streaming in for Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the "Duck Dynasty" family, after his family revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Robertson's son Jase Robertson spoke about the diagnosis on the latest BlazeTV podcast episode of "Unashamed with the Robertson Family" published Friday.

'I’ve appreciated Phil’s bold faith in Jesus Christ and the way he points to God’s Word.'

"Phil's not doing well," he said. "I think I spoke on the 1,000th podcast, we were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, he has some sort of blood disease causing all kinds of problems."

Phil Robertson had been a part of the podcast but owing to his health declining, he has been absent.

"It's like accelerated, and it's causing problems with his entire body. And he has early stages of Alzheimer's. So if you put those things together, he's really not doing well. He's struggling," Jase Robertson said.

He went on to say that his father had trouble walking around without "crying in pain."

Sadie Robertson wrote on Instagram about her grandfather and posted an image of them together.

"In moments like this, it can feel overwhelming for such bad news to be such public news. But you know what? I’m genuinely so thankful my family chose to make our life public because of how incredible it is that so many people know my grandpa!" she wrote.

"I’m so glad that so many people have been able to learn from his faith and his love for his family.
I’m so proud to be his granddaughter. I’m so proud to have learned how to love the word, honor the word, and teach the word from him," she added.

Evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham Jr. was among those who called for prayer for Robertson's condition.

"Would you join me in praying for Phil Robertson, his wife Miss Kay, and their family?" wrote Graham on social media. "Phil is having serious health issues. I’ve appreciated Phil’s bold faith in Jesus Christ and the way he points to God’s Word."

The Robertson family gained nationwide prominence after their show "Duck Dynasty" broke cable rating records for a nonfiction series. The show ended in 2017 after 11 seasons.

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Robertson brothers open up about their dad’s diagnosis: ‘Phil is not doing well’



Phil Robertson, father of five, outspoken Christ follower, and patriarch of Duck Commander, hasn’t been on the “Unashamed” podcast for a few weeks now due to illness.

“Phil is not doing well,” says Jase.

“According to the doctors, they're sure that he has some sort of blood disease that's causing all kinds of problems."

"It’s accelerated, and it's causing problems with his entire body, and he has early stages of Alzheimer’s, so if you put those things together, he's just not doing well. He's really struggling,” he adds.

“He keeps saying, 'I'm going to get back to the podcast,' but I'm like, well, Phil, you can barely walk around without crying out in pain, and I was like, you know, your memory is not what it once was,” says Jase.

“He misses it,” says Al.

“There will be some days he's a little better, you know, a little more with you; on other days, not so much.”

“We're trying to do a lot of things to figure out how to make him more comfortable and maybe help with his memory,” including “doctor sessions,” but “what we're hearing is outside of some supernatural intervention, which I don't doubt … there’s no curing what he has,” says Jase candidly.

Although Phil went duck hunting with his sons on opening day recently, he “did not fire his weapon, nor did he say much.”

While he told Jase that he would call when he was ready to try hunting again, that day has not come.

“If he's unable to go duck hunting, that pretty much tells you all you need to know,” says Jase.

“If he were here, you know what he would say: Boys, the resurrection looms large as you get nearer and nearer the end,” says Al, noting that while Phil may not be on the set of the podcast, the “Phil chair is always there.”

To hear more about Phil’s condition and how the brothers are working with doctors to "slow it down," watch the episode above.

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Researchers cautiously 'optimistic' about new drug that may slow the progression of Alzheimer's



The trial of a new drug has given researchers, patients, and loved ones everywhere hope that medicine may soon be able to help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Lecanemab, a new experimental drug developed by Eisai and Biogen, was recently given to patients with what Reuters described as "mild cognitive impairment and early stage dementia." Of the 1,800 patients who took lecanemab, cognitive decline slowed by as much as 27% compared with those who took a placebo. That decline in progression amounts to an extra six months or so of relatively normal living, scientists said.

Dr. Christopher Van Dyck, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit at Yale School of Medicine, explained that an extra six months means that patients can continue living on their own, paying their own bills and cooking their own meals.

Lecanemab has been designed to target and remove amyloid beta plaque which collects in the brain of those developing Alzheimer's. The preliminary Phase 3 trial results of lecanemab were released on Tuesday, and many in the field are encouraged by what they see.

The signs of "a positive effect on cognition and lifestyle metrics" is "very encouraging," said Valerie Daggett, founder and CEO of AltPep, a company dedicated to finding ways of diagnosing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease as early as possible and then neutralizing the "toxic soluble oligomers" associated with them.

Katie McDonough with the Southeastern Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association added that while she still awaits more details about lecanemab, she is nonetheless "very optimistic about the efficacy of this medication."

Dr. Reisa Sperling, director of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General hospitals in Boston, spoke even more plainly: "I've been kind of holding my breath for the last two and a half years ... so it was thrilling to see these results."

Still, researchers caution that tests of lecanemab are still in progress. More details regarding these results will likely become available in November, but no matter what those results show, they say that lecanemab cannot cure the disease or reverse any of the effects that have already taken root.

"It's not a huge effect, but it's a positive effect," stated Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minnesota.

Roughly 55 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and there have been precious few victories in the race to combat it. As a result, Eisai has asked the FDA for an expedited review process of lecanemab. The FDA decision on that request is expected to come some time in January.

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