Terry Prachett on Alzheimer's Disease (Part 2 of 2)

Terry Pratchett's speech to the Alzheimer's Research Trust as he donates one million dollars to the cause, and discussing having Alzheimer's, the effect on his writing, eating voles, and Dirty Harry the crack dealer.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Terry
• Pratchett
• Discworld
• Author
• Books
• Alzehimers's
• Disease
• One
• Million
• Dollars
• Alzheimer's
• Research
• Trust

[teaparty92]

I will pray for anyone who have family or friend who has alzheimers or people who have alzheimers themselves also people who are not Christians I will pray for them.

[Nuckpang]

You must spend a lot of time praying, my friend :) Especially as Terry is an atheist, but the sentiment is very nice all the same.

[bookwoman40]

How much strength and courage it took to talk about this disease (vs eases). This affliction afflicts many. Terry, you are a wonder. I care for my mother who has dementia. I think it is so important for the world to see the intellect of a mind afflicted with this illness. We owe you much, for your honesty

[hardrain08]

oh great! The best thing to happen to English literature and he has alzheimers! I hope seriously hope they find a cure

[Tightey88]

He is brave doing this publicly, adn he is so articulate!! its so good for people like me and my family, my dad got diagnosed at 52...I was 21, my sister is 25 and my brother is 17, its so hard watching ur dad forget who you are! Life has to go on, but this is getting a younger and younger disease!!

The disease is looked down on on like its not a real illness, but its one of the hardest things ever to go through and to watch anyone go through!!

[InflamedNik]

Why does this sort of thing happen to the greatest/brightest people on the planet. Why cant these disease's take hold of all the lazy arse scum bag chav's out there, so's to kill them off.

Prachett is one of the greatest writers ever. And i look forward to his continuing books.

[Joaquin602001]

@teaparty92 - Why not follow Terry's lead and donate something to the Alzheimers Research Trust?

[BlindWaffelz]

Wow good to hear from him, missed this first time around wen he came out! I'm carer family members with Neurological disability very like Alzheimers Disease called Neurofibromatosis Type 1...yep bet u havn't heard of it...genetic so it starts at birth & never goes away...oh also my daughter is a lower leg amputee cus of it...oh & my m8 is nearly blind cus of it...oh & frnd lost her teenage son to it wen he died of the classic Nf1 brain tumour...we need a Celeb to come out wiv Nf1

[richardmaudsley77]

@MidnightNoon92 Yep, brain rot. Like decomposition only you're not dead.

[MidnightNoon92]

@richardmaudsley77

Calling Alzheimer's "brain rot" is disgusting and wrong. Even if it's "technically," physically correct, it is insensitive to all those who either have Alzheimer's themselves or know and love those who have the disease. Asking you to please stop using the term in public.

[tinaril]

My world has gone a bit more grey now that I've seen this. I wasn't aware he had it till now. Shame, shame. :(

[johnnytubeaccount]

Aw jeez, Alzheimer's is messy business, and 56 is really young to be diagnosed with it. They say the younger you are the faster it worsens and my grandfather was 10 years older then that when he was diagnosed. :(

He made a joke about the typing slowing down, but that must be really frustrating for him..

Now im sad

[XTheGuvX]

I feel your pain, my grandpa died of alzheimer's. Aricept apparently only helps about 1/3rd of alzheimer's patients too, so it's not surprising that it did nothing. My aunt is now worried that my dad may have alzheimer's (and my mom just f***ing died of MS too, what a kick in the crotch, huh?), so I agree with you. This is a terrible disease, and it needs to be researched to find a cure.  This isn't normal, this effects so many people. We need to stop this disease.

[knoxunflower1]

With my father, Aricept = Aspirin (It did nothing, helped nothing). He now resides in a nursing home, one leg amputated, calls my mom 'mama' (He thinks my mother is HIS mother, who died in 1968), has no clue what's going on, mega etc. His quality of life is in the negative. I will NOT 'live', or die, as he is. If there's a reasonable argument for physician assisted 'end of life', he is it. He's suffering, I love him, & allowing THAT 'life' to continue is a morally bankrupt exercise in futulity.