Match It For Pratchett

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#1
I was reading about the 8th of August and how all the readers will donate money to Alzheimer's research centres in Terry's name.

I did a bit of research too and found two organisations here in Athens that deal with Alzheimer's patients and their families. I thought it would be better to just donate the money there instead of online.

How do you feel about this whole thing? I've already argued with a friend who thinks that it's not a very sincere thing to do sence we didn't care about Alzheimer's before. I got pretty upset and told him that as for me, I'm a very limited person. I can't care about everything! When something comes into your life, you get to know about it. You take interest. And with Terry suffering from it, I think it affects me directly!

I don't find that at all fake or anything like that. I think it's a very sweet and respectfull gesture.
 

Tonyblack

Super Moderator
City Watch
Jul 25, 2008
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#2
I think donating locally is a great idea. The Match it for Pratchett scheme doesn't (I understand) have Terry's official backing.

As for whether it's an insincere thing to do as your friend suggests - one of the reasons that Terry is being so vocal about Alzheimer's is to make people aware of it. People who may not have come across it before. So you may not have "cared about it before" but know you have been educated about it you do care. I see nothing insincere about that.

Life is about learning and throughout our lives we become aware of things that we didn't know. We learn about them and they either touch our lives or we ignore them.

Donating to Alzheimer's charities in your own country will probably mean much more to you and therefore it's a great idea. :laugh:
 

demdike

New Member
Jul 25, 2008
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#4
Most charity fundraising is done by people who know people affected by the disease/illness.such as Cancer research and Macmillon nurses are well known charities because so many people are affected by cancer and are able to raise awareness.

I was aware of Alzheimers previous to Terry being diagnosed because my Mother had it, I could find very little about treatment online, and she ended up completely moronic due to the heavy sedation drugs the home put her on to keep her malleable.

What Terry has done by speaking out is give Alzheimer victims a voice, mostly the people affected are those least able to talk about anything let alone how their illness affects them personally, it's left to the carers and they are just too busy coping, so kudos to him.

And it's a sad fact of life that there are too many worthy causes and victims for anyone to care about everyone.
 
#5
demdike, I'm really sorry about your mom! But that's exactly why I think why it's great that Terry is being so open and vocal about it.

And I agree with everyone here that you really can't know or care about EVERYTHING. We mostly care about things that affect us. I don't find it insincere at all (my friend lost the argument ;D).

I think I'll go ahead and give the money to that place. It's a very nice organization and they are very active about what they do.
 

LadyL

Constable
Jul 25, 2008
77
2,150
Frankfurt/Main
#6
I totally agree that neither of us can care about everything.

I didnt know much about Alzheimers before Terry went into public
and now Im on a newsletter of Alzheimers Research.

I did know about cancer though didnt care much until a friend of mine was being diagnosed.

Probably most of us are limited in their possibilities to give donations
but to seek information, to pass on information and to care -
that is what we all can and should be able to do :cool:
 

Jinx

Lance-Corporal
Jul 27, 2008
226
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Glasgow, UK
#10
It's frightening how common Altzheimer's is compared with the knowledge among the public on the condition. It's great that attention has been drawn to the matter under these not so great circumstances.

It would be nice if people could have a care about every affliction out there, but that wouldn't be much help if the charities became diluted. It makes sense in a cold logical way that the more common conditions get attention first.


If you are making a donation to an Altzheimer's charity then ask the question "Am I doing this solely because PTerry is suffering from it, or am I doing this because I have learned, thanks to PTerry, much more about the condition?". That should go some way to answering the question of sincerity.
 

Tonyblack

Super Moderator
City Watch
Jul 25, 2008
30,841
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Cardiff, Wales
#11
I used to get very annoyed with my mother. She lived next door to a woman for over 50 years and was her good friend all that time. Then the woman got Altzheimer's and my mother wouldn't have anything to do with her. She took everything this poor woman said and did personally and when the woman was eventually put into a psychiatric hospital, my mother didn't even send her a card.

This is the sort of ignorance that causes people to hide it when their loved ones get Altzheimer's. :(
 

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