Nooooooo! Terry Pratchet's Early Onset Alzheimer's

Boing Boing just posted the worst news ever:

Pratchett donates $1 million to Alzheimer's research

Bestselling author Terry Pratchett has donated $1,000,000 to fund Alzheimer's research. Pratchett announced that he had a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's last December, and he's since discovered that there's an enormous gap in the science of Alzheimer's, noting, "I'd eat the arse out of a dead mole if it offered a fighting chance."

Link

Okay, clearly I'm not upset by the incredible donation to fight a disease of which I live in perpetual terror. I'm a gigantic Terry Pratchett fan and firmly believe that the Discworld novels may be some of the best social commentary of the 21st century. If you haven't read any yet, start with Jingo for commentary on war, international diplomacy, flatulence and the media. Going Postal is my current favorite though and it's shocking how deeply Equal Rites has shaped my attitudes towards breaking the glass ceiling/dimensional divide.

Pratchett's attitude toward having an incurable disease that will eventually destroy his insights, wit, career and identity trumps the significance of his donation.

He writes on Paul Kidby's Discworkld News:

Folks,

I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom "stroke".

We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet :o)

Terry Pratchett

PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell. I know it's a very human thing to say "Is there anything I can do", but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.

For the edumachationally inclined, here's more about The Alzheimer’s:

1. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal, unavoidable part of getting older, but an as yet incurable brain disease.
2. Care services for Alzheimer’s disease cost the UK more than cancer, heart disease and stroke combined.
3. There are currently 700,000 people with dementia in the UK. The number of people with dementia is forecast to double within a generation.