[PLUG-TALK] The End of An Era

[Keith Lofstrom]

On Tue, Nov 04, 2014 at 02:49:49PM -0800, David Mandel wrote:
> It is sad to die from Alzheimer's disease at the relatively young
> age of 77.  I usually think of Alzheimer's disease hitting people
> in their late 80s or 90s.

Alzheimer's usually takes longer than two years from symptoms to death,
and the end stages can be nasty, so Tom Magliozzi was probably having
symptoms when they closed the show, and may have "checked out early".

With an unfortunate set of genes, AD can strike people in their 50s.
Author and horticulturalist Tom DeBaggio was diagnosed at 57, and
wrote the books (with some help) "Losing my mind : an intimate look
at life with Alzheimer's" and "When it gets dark : an enlightened
reflection on life with Alzheimer's" about his first years with the
disease.  DeBaggio died at age 69.  

Author Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with AD at 59, manifesting
as posterior cortical atrophy - AKA blindness.  He is 66 now,
and dictates his books to a scribe;  he's cancelled his public
appearances.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com