By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – The family of the late James Griffin announced the cause of his death Wednesday afternoon. They say the former mayor died in May of a rare brain disease known as Creutzsfeldt-Jakob that affects one in one million people.
Family members say they don't know how Griffin contracted the disease. It wasn't treatable. And it mimics other diseases such as dementia.
Doctors say Creutzsfeldt-Jakob is not contagious. They said Griffin was not suffering from Mad Cow disease as some suspected following his death.
The Griffin family announced they're creating a fund that would raise money for researchers at the Dent Neurologic Institute in Amherst to study the disease.
The 78-year-old Griffin was Buffalo's longest serving mayor.