Mike Adamle's struggle and his crusade: 'I can feel the decline every single day'
Mike Adamle
Mike Adamle  was holding court.
In the kitchen of  his  Evanston home   he  was waving  his  arms  telling jokes like a late-night host  reciting an old football poem  he  wrote  âThe Ballad of Special Teams â and rattling off phrases in Spanish  Russian and Korean.
But  the Mike Adamle  who can command a room is just the surface.
Adamleâs neurologist  Michael Smith of Rush University Medical Center  said  Adamle  has post traumatic epilepsy  which is âcaused by sort of a bruising of the brain  and that happens with concussions.â
 Adamle âs wife  Kim  said her husbandâs life has changed dramatically in the last few years. She relates a story from last winter that illustrates how one loose thread can leave him unraveled.
â Mike 's able to be pretty independent  right â she said. âHe hasn't been able to drive for a year and a half but he can take the train  go down to the East Bank Club (gym)  and use his CTA card to come back.
The Adamles rely on routines  but one small problem can send  Mike  into a spiral. Impulsivity  frustration and anger set in. While Kim was trying to figure out his location   Mike  hung up on her.
She called the NBC Sports desk  where  Mike  had worked until  he  went on leave in 2016  a year before  he  retired in March  and asked if someone could go out and see if  he  was wandering near NBC Tower  put  him  in a taxi and send  him  home.
Photos of former Bears running back and  NBC-5 sportscaster Mike Adamle .
â Mike  luckily had come into the building â she said  âand was talking to the security guard.â
 He  made it home safely
Asked how  he  felt in those moments   Mike  burst out  âYou (bleeping) idiot! How did you lose that? Itâs so â¦â
 His  thought trails off.
 Mike Adamle  is adamant that  he âs not going to wait around for the disease to claim the rest of  his  faculties.  He  and Kim have gone on the offensive  partnering with Boston Universityâs CTE Center and the Concussion Legacy Foundation to create a national support network for suspected CTE victims and their families  called the Mike Adamle Project: Rise Above  set to launch in late January.
 Mike Adamle  admitted during  his  Tribune interview that  he  sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about  his  mortality.
âYou pop up like this. Itâs hard not to  it happens to a zillion people every day on the planet Earth â  he  said. âIâll be gone. Iâd like to make that a little longer and I definitely donât want to spend it in an old folks home; thatâs never going to happen. So we just keep on going until.â
[TGT] was holding court.
In the kitchen of   [TGT]   Evanston home    [TGT]   was waving   [TGT]   arms  telling jokes like a late-night host  reciting an old football poem   [TGT]   wrote  âThe Ballad of Special Teams â and rattling off phrases in Spanish  Russian and Korean.
But   [TGT]  is just the surface.
Adamleâs neurologist  Michael Smith of Rush University Medical Center  said   [TGT] has post traumatic epilepsy  which is âcaused by sort of a bruising of the brain  and that happens with  [TGT] 
 âs wife  Kim  said her husbandâs life has changed dramatically in the last few years. She relates a story from last winter that illustrates how one loose thread can leave him unraveled.
â  [TGT]  's able to be pretty independent  right â she said. âHe hasn't been able to drive for a year and a half but he can take the train  go down to the East Bank Club (gym)  and use his CTA card to come back.
The Adamles rely on routines  but one small problem can send   [TGT] into a spiral. Impulsivity  frustration and anger set in. While Kim was trying to figure out his location    [TGT] hung up on her.
She called the NBC Sports desk  where   [TGT] had worked until   [TGT]   went on leave in 2016  a year before   [TGT]   retired in March  and asked if someone could go out and see if  he  was wandering near NBC Tower  put  him  in a taxi and send  him  home.
Photos of former Bears running back and  NBC-5 sportscaster Mike Adamle .
â  [TGT] luckily had come into the building â she said  âand was talking to the security guard.â
 He  made it home safely
Asked how  he  felt in those moments    [TGT] burst out  âYou (bleeping) idiot! How did you lose that? Itâs so â¦â
  [TGT]   thought trails off.
 Mike Adamle  is adamant that  he âs not going to wait around for the disease to claim the rest of  his  faculties.  He  and Kim have gone on the offensive  partnering with Boston Universityâs CTE Center and the Concussion Legacy Foundation to create a national support network for suspected CTE victims and their families  called the Mike Adamle Project: Rise Above  set to launch in late January.
 Mike Adamle  admitted during  his  Tribune interview that  he  sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about  his  mortality.
âYou pop up like this. Itâs hard not to  it happens to a zillion people every day on the planet Earth â  he  said. âIâll be gone. Iâd like to make that a little longer and I definitely donât want to spend it in an old folks home; thatâs never going to happen. So we just keep on going until.â