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back to article Terry Pratchett donates £500k to Alzheimer's charity

Terry Pratchett has announced he will donate £500,000 to the UK's Alzheimer's Research Trust, three months after he was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease. The 59-year-old Discworld creator called the diagnosis "an embuggerance", and said it had provoked a "violently coherent fury that made the Miltonic Lucifer's rage …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    stressed

    i have sat here and read through many of the above comments and seethe with anger. it is true that you are not aware of so many of the charities out there, that are absolutely desperate for funding until you are face to face with that condition. my father, like mr pratchett was diagnosed with early onset alzheimers at 57. now 61 we can no longer give him the care he needs, he's in a mental unit until a nursing home can be found that is suitable for a young fit otherwise healthy man.

    if by making this generous donation terrys' money can help towards the cost of finding a cure and by giving us all that suffer along side the afflicted, hope, then don't knock it.

    the battle now is caring for my mum as this disease has stole a young mans life. he can no longer provide and the government doesnt give a damn about her just so long as they can claw back the cost of nursing home fees- this is just the tip of dementia and its long term impact on ALL of us. i can guarrantee you will all now some one in you circle that will suffer the inhumanity of this disease and witness the effect of BEGGING for help and support will have on those around them.

    i shall be writing to gordon brown and i'm thankful to terrys' donation as it may well make my letter a bit more poignant(if he reads it!). all i ask is if others are suffering and you are not happy with the very poor provision made towards finding a cure for alzheimers etc, please write also. i am one voice in hundreds of thousands, lets be many more voices and lets be heard. alzheimers is a fast growing problem and early on set doesn't really appear to be that rare, i know to many and facilities are non existant for them.

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  2. angela
    Pirate

    stressed

    i,m not an aonymous coward, my name is angie goggs,and i am trying to look after my parents welfare.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @John A Blackley

    "Rather than ragging on a man who's dealing with a life-changing problem the best way he knows how, what about ragging on a "health service" where he stands a better chance of getting gender reassignment than treatment for early-onset Altzheimers'?"

    Please look into gender reassignment in a bit more depth. It is not something that is done willy-nilly, it is done only after a full psychiatric evaluation.

    As an aside - even if it is true that a randomly selected person X has a better chance of getting gender reassignment (which simply isn't true considering the relative numbers of transgendered people and those who are likely to develop alzheimers), who is to say that Alzheimers should be seen as more important to treat?

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  4. Slaine
    Coat

    the geniouth of the Igor

    Alwayth it ith the thame mathter. No matter actionth you take, no matter what reathonth you have, the rampaging horde'th of pichfork wielding thychpathth will be out-thide brandithing their tharp pointy thtickth and threatening violenth angaitht one. I have experienthed thith tho many timeth now it doethen't thurprithe me in the thlightetht. If there ith anything I can do to help, of courth, jutht athk and I'll thet to work yethterday.

    I'll justht grab my labcoat.

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  5. Danny

    @ the last AC

    'who is to say that Alzheimers should be seen as more important to treat?'

    That would be because alzheimers is a life destroying illness for the person afflicted and the families of said person. Gender reassignment is just to make somebody feel better about themselves because according to them nature got it wrong and they should have been the opposite sex - not exactly life destroying

    idiot

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    @ not much money in writing comment

    look at the harry potter women....

    duh

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  7. Waldo
    Thumb Up

    Thank you Terry! and down with the Trolls

    As someone who nursed a parent though this dreadful aliment to her early death over many years I am grateful.

    Do this, then see if gender reassignment is important then! sheesh!

    Shame on the cynics here ( And believe me, I am a cynic too)

    Of course you donate to where you have personal experience - why not? - Give it to the government instead? _ I think not...

    Go be cynical else Trolls - If this illness ever hits you I bet you will be a little more contrite then!

    @ Danny - You got it right.

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  8. Jon Tocker

    I can see why so many people have posted anonymously

    Because if they hadn't, they'd likely be beaten to a pulp by others here.

    Alzheimers is not fun for the sufferers or those who care for the sufferers. I saw my grandfather - who was a man I really admired for his wit and intellect - reduced to rubble by that disease and now another whose wit and intellect I admire is going to be similarly affected.

    The only thing I feel more than my sadness at Pterry's plight right now, is my anger at the petty little shits who have belittled him and his donation.

    @Unbe****inglieveable:

    Good on ya, cobber. You've managed to convey what I wanted to say but with fewer obscenities and less vitriol.

    To Pterry if you're reading this thread:

    All the best, mate, and don't let petty little twats get you down.

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  9. Steve Glover

    Match it for Pratchett

    There's a campaign, started by Pat Cadigan, to try and double Pterry's donation.

    See here: http://www.matchitforpratchett.org

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