Surge of Prayers for 'Duck Dynasty' Star Phil Robertson and Family After Heartbreaking Diagnosis
Prayers of support and condolences are being sent to members of the Robertson family after news broke over the weekend that "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Social media influencer Sadie Robertson Huff reached out to her followers after her uncle, Jase Robertson, revealed the diagnosis on Friday's episode of the "Unashamed with the Robertson Family" podcast.
"Phil's not doing well. I think I spoke on the 1,000th podcast, we were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, he has some sort of blood disease causing all kinds of problems," Jase shared.
"It's like accelerated, and it's causing problems with his entire body. And he has early stages of Alzheimer's. So, if you put those things together, he's really not doing well. He's struggling," he continued.
Phil is a big part of the podcast, but due to his declining health has not been able to join recently.
"I'm like, 'Well Phil, you can barely walk around without crying out in pain, and your memory is not what it once was.' He's like, 'Tell me about it.' So he is literally unable to — I think he would agree — to just sit down and have a conversation," Jase said.
"He misses it. He misses the stories we tell," he added.
Jase also shared that the family has a team of doctors, but they feel there is no cure for what he has.
"We're trying to do a lot of things to figure out how to make him more comfortable and maybe help with his memory," he said.
Robertson Huff, Phil's grandaughter, responded to the announcement on social media, "Seeing all of the articles go out yesterday about my grandpa's Alzheimer's diagnosis has kept my tears flowing… something about it being public makes it even more real."
"In moments like this, it can feel overwhelming for such bad news to be such public news. But you know what? I'm genuinely so thankful my family chose to make our life public because of how incredible it is that so many people know my grandpa," she continued.
Robertson Huff, 27, went on to express that she is saddened by the diagnosis but is grateful for her grandfather and the millions of lives he has reached through his ministry.
"Papaw Phil, because as 'impressive' as his ministry has become in that he has spoken to millions and millions… the most impressionable thing to me was how he ministered to every single person who stepped in his door and sat on the couch beside his iconic chair," she wrote.
She also thanked people for praying for her family.
Her post has received more than 500,000 likes, and hundreds have commented expressing their prayers for the family and how Robertson has ministered to them.
Instagram user Morgan Krueger wrote, "Sadie this is beautiful and made me tear up. Praise God for men like your grandad who are such faithful patriarchs, who impact generations to come. Your family is a walking testimony of that. Thank you for sharing and praying for him and your entire family."
"Your Grandfather reaches places with the gospel, that very few men, can even dream of reaching," another woman shared. "I have male relatives that dropped everything they were doing, in the middle of the day to listen to Phil's sharing of the word...We're praying for your entire family."
Another person commented, "You and Paw Paw Phil make us proud to be from Louisiana and more importantly, proud to be people of faith. To this day I still say it was one of the best shows we've ever seen on TV. Never be afraid to speak about the importance God had in your family's lives. May God continue to grant your family peace and strength in this difficult time."
Phil, 78, is married to Kay Robertson and is the father to sons Jep, Al, Willie, and Jase. He has more than 15 grandchildren.
He founded the Duck Commander Company and starred on "Duck Dynasty" from 2012 to 2017
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