Sports
Chicago Bears Great Gale Sayers Suffers From Dementia
The Hall of Fame running back was diagnosed with the mental ailment four years ago. He and his wife point to football as the cause.
CHICAGO, IL — Legendary Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers is suffering from dementia, a diagnosis he received four years ago, the NFL Hall of Famer and his wife, Ardythe, told the Kansas City Star's Vahe Gregorian during a seven-hour visit in which Sayers "scarcely spoke."
Sayers, 73, recently returned to his home in Wakarusa, Indiana, about 100 miles east of Chicago, after staying at a care facility for the past few months, the report stated. He and his wife believe football is responsible for his current condition.
“Like the doctor at the Mayo Clinic said, ‘Yes, a part of this has to be on football,'" Sayers' wife, Ardythe Sayers, told the Star. "It wasn’t so much getting hit in the head. … It’s just the shaking of the brain when they took him down with the force they play the game in."
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Ardythe Sayers also described her husband as "physically healthy 'as a horse,'" but she said some days are better than others when it comes to the mental side of things. She tries to engage Sayers' mind with anything from jigsaw puzzles to documentaries to practicing his signature, the report added.
The reason for Sayers and his family choosing now to speak up about the Bears great's medical condition is twofold. Although the family hasn't hid Sayers' ailment, they also haven't been very public about it. This announcement is a way for the family to squash any rumors about Sayers' condition.
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"Other people start making up stories, and people are asking about him more and more,” Ardythe Sayers told the Star. "People must know."
Spreading knowledge about dementia is the other part of the reason why Sayers is letting his own battle with the disorder be known, the report stated. The family believes talking about Sayers' struggles with dementia can raise awareness about the disorder, especially as it relates to football players, the report added.
As difficult as Sayers' condition can be, Ardythe Sayers is eager to see spring, when she expects her husband will be hitting the links for a round of golf.
"I don’t want him to be just sitting around doing nothing," she told the Star. "No, he’s still got a lot going for himself, and I don’t want him to forget it."
Ardythe Sayers added:
"That’s a part of relationships, that’s a part of marriage: You don’t walk away from a person when they’re sick. That’s when you dig in and help and do what you have to do.
"It’s hard, yes, I’m not saying it isn’t. And it’s challenging at times.
"But then when I stop and think about the people around me and people that are willing to help and family that are willing to come, … we’re blessed that way."
Chicago Bears great Gayle Sayers in 2010. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images)
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