Terry Pratchett 'thoroughly annoyed' at incurable degenerative disease.

[starf*sh]

Seven hundred thousand people who have dementia in this country are not heard. I’m fortunate; I can be heard. Regrettably, it’s amazing how people listen if you stand up in public and give away $1million for research into the disease, as I have done. Why did I do it? I regarded finding I had a form of Alzheimer’s as an insult and decided to do my best to marshal any kind of forces I could against this wretched disease...I felt that all I had was a voice, and I should make it heard. It never occurred to me not to use it. I went on the net and told, well, everyone. I wish I could say it was an act of bravery. It wasn’t and I find that suggestion very nearly obscene. How brave is it to say you have a disease that does not hint of a dissolute youth, riotous living or even terrible eating habits? Anyone can contract dementia; and every day and with a growing momentum, anybody does...It seems that when you have cancer you are a brave battler against the disease, but when you have Alzheimer’s you are an old fart. That’s how people see you. It makes you feel quite alone.

Wow-Wow Source - Plenty more after the jump.

It is said that whosoever the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad. In fact, whosoever the gods wish to destroy, they first hand the equivalent of a stick with a fizzing fuse and Acme Dynamite Company written on the side. It's more interesting, and doesn't take so long.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Soul Music)

[Nalixor]

I don't like to think about this. I love Terry Pratchett. He is a brilliant man, and his books have brought joy into my life unlike any others that I have ever read. The thought of him having Alzheimers makes me deeply sad, on a real, personal level. :/

[bobdown]

Shit!
I love Pratchetts work, well, almost all of Pratchetts work, except for "Thud", which I found made my eyes itch and was very hard to read


These guys made me laugh till I very nearly peed meself

The Nac Mac Feegles (also known as Pictsies, the Wee Free Men, the Little Men, and 'Person or Persons Unknown, Believed to be Armed') The Nac Mac Feegles' skin appears blue because it is heavily tattooed and covered with paint, and all have red hair. The tattoos identify a Feegle's clan. Wings or similar features of any kind are out of the question. Their speech can only be described as some sort of variation on the Scots language, usually Glaswegian in the clans encountered so far, although William the Gonnagle (from a different clan) has a softer, Highland accent. They are notably strong and resilient, which comes in handy given that male Feegles (almost all of them) tend to be notoriously rowdy as a lifestyle. The Feegles spend their time drinking, fighting and stealing, alone or in various combinations. The immense strength and rowdiness of these pictsies means that they will fight anything, and they have a particular fondness for headbutting creatures far larger than themselves. In a good fight, a Feegle will take on all comers, fight his fellow Feegles, with such enthusiasm that makes missing someone hazardous ("Crivens! I kicked meself in ma ain heid!"). Some clans have an apparently superstitious fear of their names being written lest their names appear on unwelcome legal documents. Some of the upland clans have mastered the concept of law as a weapon however, and note that it is a good idea "neever tae sign a feegle contract; six inch high people write verra small print". Beware the cry, "We've got a cheap lawyer an' we're not afraid to use him!" Their swords glow blue in the presence of lawyers.

[TheBloatedFish]

I have loved Terry Pratchett's books for many years now and it is strange to think that there will only be a few more Pratchett books to come. It is a great shame and will be sad to see such a great and comical man have his talent taken away from him.

[and3w]

meh, his books leave me a bit cold.
I listened to an interview with him on the radio this morning, and really empathised (my mother died of Altzheimers after a long {20 year} illness) with his frustrations. I only hope he has a fatal heart attack before the Altzheimers really kicks in, less pain and suffering all round.

[Marchpig]

I read one, Soul Music, well, tried to...I know they are supposed to be funny and all, but, I 'spose it was over my head.
Prolly explain the difference between me and the ex wife, she loves his stuff, go figure.

[Glompbot]

He's probably the only celebrity of sorts who I would cry over. I grew up reading pratchett. I turn to his books for comfort, distraction, and general cheering up when I feel like shit. I don't know any other author who I care about as much as pratchett.

[Replica]

What a cruel fate to befall such a brilliant man. I actually had the good fortune to meet Neil Gaiman in a bar during his time in Sydney promoting the Neverwhere and he waxed lyrical about how much loved working with Pratchet and how much he had helped improve his writing while they worked on Good Omens. Being a massive fan of that book It was an absolute delight to hear him talk about how the two angels were very much Terry and himself transformed into fictional characters.

One of my fav Pratchett quotes springs to mind reading this:

God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of his own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players, to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.

[sagit]

Spose I should get around to reading some of his work. I'm sure I have a book of his somewhere in the 'library'

[and3w]

Originally Posted by sagit Spose I should get around to reading some of his work. I'm sure I have a book of his somewhere in the 'library'

I wouldn't bother if I was you!


(Or at least note that, once you have read the first one, you can forget about reading the other eleventy-seven million he has written as they are all the same!)