A really sad story. For all of the people who flung darts at him or badmouthed him for one reason or another, the fact remains that Dean Smith was a giant in his field. Perhaps not quite on the John Wooden level, but very close.
I have not had any direct experience (any of my nuclear family) with dementia or Alzheimer's, but I think that if I fear anything more than cancer, it would be the big A.
My perception is that it is harder on the friends and family though, than it is on the one afflicted. Certainly seems so, from what I have read.
I have an old friend, who I haven't seen too much of in recent years, but with whom I still keep in touch. I got an email from her a few weeks ago, in which she informed me that she had been diagnosed as having beginning stages of dementia (she said "normal for her age"), the diagnosis being "mild cognitive impairment".
Anyway, she wanted to share with me (and I want to share with any of you) the name of a drug which presumably shows promise in arresting the onset of dementia. Here is what she said:
"Anyway my doctor has started me on Aricept, a drug to stop the progress of dementia. How exciting! I wanted to let you know about the drug in case you hadn't heard of it. It doesn't reverse it."
Have any of you heard of it? Or how effective it is?
