Mike Adamle, the former Bears running back and sportscaster, deals with slowly advancing dementia: 'I'll wake up one day, and there goes another part of me'

CHICAGO - It was the Bears' 100th season celebration last summer in Rosemont. Mike Adamle was with all the other former players gathered in a room, some the same as always and others mere shadows with faraway eyes.

"I'd see this guy I played with and I'd hug him, and he'd hug me, and we'd both walk off in different directions going, 'Who the hell was that?' " recalled Adamle, once an undersized running back and then a sportscaster. "I mean, it's funny, but it's terrible. I'm just glad we're addressing this now."

What's being addressed is mental health.

Adamle's mind is slowly eroding, a