May 23, 2008
Terry Pratchett, on the ropes:
On the Ropes, BBC Radio 4's programme about people in difficult situations, interviews author Terry Pratchett about his recent diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
In the first half of the interview, Pratchett talks about his early years as a writer and how he came to write the Discworld series and other novels.
In the latter half, he talks through the realisation that he had Alzheimer's, from being tested for his initial relatively minor stroke, to being more comprehensively assessed for his ongoing cognitive difficulties.
He gives a fascinating first-person account of how he experiences the difficulties and the effects of the medication on his mind.
After his diagnosis, Pratchett was surprised at how little Alzheimer's disease research was going on and donated half a million points pounds to scientific research.
Pratchett fans have set up Match It For Pratchett, a drive to match the Discworld author's donation and boost degenerative brain research.
Link to On the Ropes interview with Terry Pratchett.
Link to Match It For Pratchett.
