A. Brandt Henderson was a lifelong learner, who loved the classics, philosophy and theology. He had a particular interest in presidential biographies. He was a devout Catholic who loved the church enough to challenge her as an active and reflective participant at Our Lady of Sorrows in Sharon, MA. He was an engaged partner in married life and often introduced Marie as the love of his life. He was a wonderful father and, as adults, his children have made their way in the world grounded by his love and encouragement.
Brandt enjoyed photographing nature and taking long walks with his little dog Dixie. He loved to go on adventures, and he could be relied on for his tour guide level of knowledge of all things historical and artistic. Some of his favorite destinations were the Oregon coast, Cape Cod, and the vineyards of Italy. A wonderful moment in his life was completing the pilgrimage of El Camino de Santiago de Compostela with a dear friend.
In his mid-50s, Brandt and his family noticed that his high level of motivation had declined and turned into apathy. In addition, he began having difficulty meeting deadlines for work and completing household tasks, evidence of a drastic change in executive function. As an employee of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Brandt began his journey to get an accurate diagnosis to understand what was causing these changes. He was ultimately diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration and retired from his position with MGH Development only to begin new roles, as research participant in the MGH Frontotemporal Disorders (FTD) Unit and advocate for people living with FTD. At the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration Education Conference in 2017, Brandt and his wife Marie participated in a panel discussion with other couples living with FTD, bringing a needed perspective to the care partners and medical professionals attending the conference.
On November 29, 2025, Brandt’s son Sam will gather the disc golf community to raise awareness, funds and hope that the cure of tomorrow for FTD will not be so far from the care of today with a disc golf tournament at Borderland State Park in North Easton, MA. All proceeds will benefit the MGH FTD Unit.