Helping make a difference

I've been an avid Terry Pratchett reader for years and even once met him (briefly) when I queued for hours with my mate Rich to get my copy of Soul Music signed (and monogrammed with a little scythe) back when I was at uni, so like all Pratchett readers I was saddened to learn a while back that he has a rare from of Alzheimers, a disease which is little understood and which needs a lot of research to try and find effective treatments.

It's a terrible thing to happen to anyone but when the mind involved is one which has devised a fantasy world that has brought enjoyment to so many tens (maybe hundreds) of millions of readers around the world it is an especially cruel irony. Fortunately, in typical style Pratchett isn't letting it get him down and has vowed to write on while he still can. He has also just announced that he is personally donating £500,000 to the Alzheimers Research Trust as there is very little funding for research into this disease when compared to, say, cancer (not that cancer research isn't worthy of the funding but Alzheimers affects more people than you might think and the indirect effects on family members are as bad if not worse than those of cancer).

However, that's not it. A fan read about this and thought well, if we can get half a million Pratchett fans to donate a pound each then it will match his donating and make a round million (or maybe more - who knows?). Well, Pratchett has given me much pleasure over the years and continues to do so, so I thought "Damn good idea" and immediately donated five quid which is not even the price of a couple of pints (plus the government gives back the tax I paid on it which makes it over six quid). If you have enjoyed Terry's books and you can spare even a quid, then I urge you to donate to the Alzheimers Research Trust and tell them it's in his honour.