Mount Airy issues proclamation for Frontotemporal Degeneration Awareness Week after resident’s account

Mayor Bryan Hushauer and the council presented a proclamation declaring a September 2025 Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) Awareness Week after local resident Karen Hawkins described her family’s multi‑year experience with the disease and urged greater awareness.

Hawkins, a Mount Airy resident of 30 years who identified herself as a volunteer with the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD), said FTD is often underdiagnosed and not the same as Alzheimer’s. She described her mother’s onset in her late 40s, a nearly four‑year diagnostic process, job loss after diagnosis and eventual long‑term care placement. Hawkins outlined symptoms that can differ from Alzheimer’s — early changes in personality, language, decision‑making, apathy and inhibition — and said FTD is the most common dementia under age 60.

Hawkins asked the town to post resources during Awareness Week and provided the national resource website aftd.org. Mayor Hushauer thanked Hawkins and town staff for coordinating the proclamation; the mayor said the proclamation will be posted by the front door of Town Hall.

Why it matters: FTD commonly affects people at younger working ages and has different symptoms and family‑care dynamics than Alzheimer’s. Hawkins said awareness can accelerate diagnosis, expand access to clinical trials and help families obtain needed financial, legal and medical supports.

Evidence from the meeting: Hawkins gave a detailed, first‑person account and asked the town to post resources; the mayor announced the proclamation and a photograph/ceremony at the meeting.