Terry Pratchett diagnosed with Alzhiemers.

[Moogle!]

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

Since I didn't see it here already,so I though I'd share. I hope he hangs around for a good ten more years in a healthy mind, but I know that's a stretch.

Yes, I know it's three days old. Blame Slashdot.

[The Phalanx]

I heard about this the other day. Friggin' heartbreaking to hear, lemme tell you...

I'm tempted to lead a horde of skandinavian LARPers for a cure. Anyone wanna come with?

[Fenrir]

Dammit! Why!?

[Schwaltzvald]

For the sake of those ignorant of Terry Prachett, who is he and what makes him very significant for this post..?

[Skrypnyk]

For the sake of those ignorant of Terry Prachett, who is he and what makes him very significant for this post..?

You DON'T know who he is?!?!?

I'm so ashamed, I will let someone else explain who he is.

[Tensei]

For the sake of those ignorant of Terry Prachett, who is he and what makes him very significant for this post..?

tl;dr

Terry Pratchett is a really cool sci-fi/fantasy novel writer.

[The Author]

For the sake of those ignorant of Terry Prachett, who is he and what makes him very significant for this post..?

Writer, fiction, apparently good.

And well, any disease is tragic when a celebrity is affected, because the loss of one fantasy author is much much more tragic than 25 Alzheimer's sufferers in a local hospice.

Sorry, I just hate the fact that a disease only gains importance when a celebrity has it, because some of us also have crippling diseases, and because no big name is attached to it, no one gives a flying fuck.

[Fishy]

In essence it isn't any less tragic when Mr Average has whatever affliction, but when people have touched millions, as Mr Pratchet has, its ok to make a bigger deal out of it in my opinion. If you don't know those 25 people, you have no emotional attachment to them. If you've read all his books, you do. If he was a shit celebrity that does absolutely nothing like Paris Hilton then yeah its disgraceful to make a show out of it, but he wasn't.

Also a deteriorating mind for a writer is just about the worst thing that could happen. Its like a guitarist loosing his fingers.

[Yoshi3gg]

Sorry, I just hate the fact that a disease only gains importance when a celebrity has it, because some of us also have crippling diseases, and because no big name is attached to it, no one gives a flying fuck.

Everyone who is affected by it cares (family, friends, co-workers, etc.). The only reason it's different when it happens to a celebrity is because there's a larger pool of people who are affected.

Furthermore, I'd hardly say that Alzheimer's has "[gained] importance" because Terry Pratchett's been diagnosed with it. It wasn't exactly an obscure disease last week, before this was announced.

Anyway, this is pretty sad news for all of his fans. My girlfriend absolutely loves his books, and I've been meaning to get around to reading some of them myself. I hope his family's doing okay.

[Skummel Maske]

Really, Fishy said it all. Pratchett getting alzheimers isn't just a personal thing, because it affects his work as well. His books are really wonderful.

[herograw]

Sorry, I just hate the fact that a disease only gains importance when a celebrity has it, because some of us also have crippling diseases, and because no big name is attached to it, no one gives a flying fuck.

This is correct. We don't care. At least, not on a personal level.

I was going to say more but Fishy's post suffices.