pTerry diagnosed with Alzheimers

oh, nasty
I know but an inkling of how to translate these feelings
Much respect to the brave soldier, mr pratchett for being so optimisticabout it all.
I've got dyspraxia, but thats nothing on alzheimers.

just heard and started another topic. guy please move my post to here.

i just read dewi's link and i feel very sorry for pTerry. having met him just a few days ago at the hogswatch weekend and having talked to him makes it even more sad to know that this genius will fade. i hope that the process will be very slow and that his philosophy of " i aten't dead" will last for many years.
this shows how vulnerable we all are.

just heard the news.
think this brings it home to all of us how fragile our worlds can be

oh my god...thats terrible....hope he dont stop the books

I appreciate what the Hexmeister said - PTerry is being brave to tell the world and risk the kid gloves and isolation the fandom will probably treat him with now. As he said himself: "(He) aten't dead!" Now's not the time for eulogies but to appreciate what we've been given in our lives, from each other and from pTerry and the Disc All things come to an end, but the Discworld aten't ended yet!

What about the most important thing - if pTerry cuts back his appearances at gatherings of mad Pratchett fans there'll be no-one to remind us that we're all loonies, and we'll lose track of reality completely...

After all, everyone else goes to discworld gatherings because they're Pratchett nuts... pTerry goes cos he's, errr, Pratchett. No nuts...

MS - trying hard to keep in the spirit his good self espoused ("Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful...")

That's really sad news. I can only wish that the disease runs quickly. I worked a year in an old age pension. I learned that the worst thing is to remember what you were once able to do or remember but cannot do so now. Total forgetfulness in that situation is a blessing for those poor people. Not for their relatives, of course.

as most of you know i work as a carer, i work with lots of people with alzheimers, an early onset can last a long time before the most well know effects start. and with all the advances in mediacen there is no telling what we can cure in the next few years, especialy with stem cell reserch.

Mr Terry all our love and best wishes are with you at this time, i know were all barmy but there are millions of us sending you good thaughts and feelings, you were the one who invented headology you know it works. we will all think you better.

Love Jane

That is horrible:(
*Wishes for pTerry*

HEED THESE WORDS:

This genius will now write a complete masterpiece, more so han his other works. His only drive and determination for the previous years has, more or less, just been to write books for the sake of earning a decent living and becoming a renowned author. Now there is an end, an undeniable finish line.
When you know there is an end to things it forces you to do things before its too late. The "Ive got years to write a masterpiece" ideology is over and now its replaced with "I have to write this now!". He will have an almost miraculous amount of determination to thrust his genius mind now, and lets hope he uses it.
I just know this diagnosis will force him to write his peak book, and i cant wait for it.

and when he does i will say i told you so.

I'm inclined to agree, I think that his impending illness will motivate him to try and immortalise as uch of his genius as possible before it's...too late.

Even so, in a way, while the illness is horrible, it could be said to be batter than a random death. We now can prepare for what is all but a certainty...our beloved pratchett may finaly be lowered to a mere normal person. Tragedy. but he has the chance to put down everything he wants to and we can now appreciate his upcomming works more.

he's lucky in that even if he does become what we all fear, he will forever be remembered for the genius he was, and when he dies the memory of his illness will fade but his genius will be revered beside dickenson's (who, btw has a very similar style). So, let us all revel in his pratchettness and enjoy his extensive catalogue

hey..... you seem to be writing premature obituaries!

HE AITEN'T DEAD !!!

It is much more comfortable for you to get old in a working body but lacking memory. Remembering everything but not being able to get your body to work is really cruel.
So there's still something positive to find. And hopefully modern medicine keeps the effects down for years to come.

on that note, my mum's proff (whom we don't like) is oing some work with alzheimers and it seems there is some progress being made on that front. who knows, but medicine is advanceing a lot

couldn;t it also be mad-cow? apparently it's too difficult to distinghuish between the two in early stages so they say alzheiers by default

I am very sorry to hear this news. He is a great auther and i believe (and hope) that he will keep on writing stories as long as he thinks he can as it will help him keep going through the hard times.

It just shows that the world is a crule and harsh place, the worse things can happen to the nicest of people and who you don't expect it to happen to. You just have to take everyday as it comes.

My thoughts are with him and his family.

Ang

I forgot to post this earlier but here is link to news about it from the man himself :-

edited to put in correct link

http://www.paulkidby.com/news/index.html

and as i seem to be going senile i will leave the funny link that Mr Scrub referred to the one i posted by mistake.

http://www.discworldstamps.co.uk/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=244

Good pic, but I'm not sure it was the link you meant to send Alex

MS

Ok mea culpa i just wonder who got the link about pTerry if i posted the Hogswatch card here oh well.

Where are we going and why am i in this handbasket?...
...Oh! always try to look on the bright side...
... Um anybody got any marshmellows.?

anyway, it's nice you mixed it up. i like that card! thank you very much.
life is hard. after all it kills you.
katherine hepburn

.....Are we not all, in some way, looking for our cow?

If anyone can read russian I suggest they read the russian version as much less info is availible in the english versions

http://english.pravda.ru/news/science/28-12-2007/103247-fish_oil-0

Interesting article on research in .au on a drug called Etanercept.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23033121-29277,00.html

"The drug Etanercept, which has been approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration to treat arthritis patients, dramatically reversed symptoms of an Alzheimer’s disease sufferer’ minutes after it was injected into their spines, researchers in the US discovered."

I am sure that pTerry is watching all news on Alzheimer's with great interest, probably subscribes to the Journal of Neuroinflammation where this report was first published, and is working to put himself as far on the right of the bell curve as possible, so I imagine he's already read of this. Wouldn't be surprised to see him taking trips to .au in the near future, since the drug is approved for use there.

I'd feel like I'm capitalising on suffering if I were to ask whether conventions shall be held in the wake of his arrival....

none the less it's good to see the aussies getting ahead in the medical world, let's hope it works

For your Alzheimer's news:

Two techy gizmos, one to encourage braincell regeneration in Alzheimer's sufferers:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=510172&in_page_id=1774

And one to help those who have already suffered memory loss lead more normal lives (I want one of these anyway!): http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2002/06/53028

Also scary mpgs of braincell degeneration, using a MRI scanner: http://www.loni.ucla.edu/~thompson/AD_4D/dynamic.html