Thunderbirds creator has Alzheimers
TV Legend Gerry Anderson has confirmed that he has Alzheimer’s Disease. The creator of Thunderbirds, was diagnosed 18 months ago, be has only decided to go public with the news this week.
Andersonspoke about the illness publicly for the first time for an Alzheimer’s Society walk which he plans to take part in next October. Speaking on BBC Radio Berkshire he said: “I don’t think I quite realised at all. It was my wife Mary who began to notice that I would do something quite daft like putting the kettle in the sink and waiting for it to boil. Finally I was persuaded to go and see the doctor and eventually I was confronted with the traditional test – a piece of paper with drawings on it, taking a pencil and copying them. I thought ‘Why are they doing this? A child could do this’. But when I started to copy the drawings, that wasn’t the case. I started to get in a muddle. That’s when I began to realise that there was something wrong.”
The 83-year-old, who lives inHenley-on-Thames, said he was no longer able to drive and that “was the bitterest blow of all”. “That virtually took away my freedom. It meant that I couldn’t go to Pinewood studios where I worked, and this depressed me enormously because my film work was my life. Since I’ve had Alzheimer’s I’ve realised how debilitating it is. It can affect your life in so many ways that you don’t think about.”
Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes said: “We’re so grateful to Gerry for supporting Memory Walk on October 13th. By speaking out about his dementia he’s spreading the message much further that it can happen to anyone.”
Short URL: http://www.canarianweekly.com/?p=13613
Posted by 
