Georgia Tech Provost, Dr. Rafael Bras, recounts the memories of a friend diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and describes how Georgia Tech professors are trying to crack the mysteries of the disease.
Link to the original post: http://www.provost.gatech.edu/blog/death-friend
“One of my best friends just passed away. We went way back a long way. He was a big, funny, at times loud, lovable guy. He loved a party and being with him always meant (innocent) trouble. He was an accomplished professional that went into business and succeeded beyond any of our wildest dreams. He had a beautiful, loving family and an increasing brood of grandchildren.
Three years ago, my friend was diagnosed and quickly expressed full-blown Alzheimer’s disease. This was not my first experience with this disease, but what was new to me was the speed of the progression. In a manner of just a few months, he went from some forgetfulness, to not being able to remember his son during his wedding reception. But he still remembered me.”
“Professor Annabelle Singer of the Wallace H. Coulter School of Biomedical Engineering is experimenting with promising therapies that stimulate the brain with flickering lights and sound of a particular frequency that seem to reduce protein build-up and plaques in the brain, which may have a causal effect on the disease.
The fruits of the work of Professors Duarte and Singer and others will come too late for my dear friend. I am hopeful that they will, nevertheless, begin to crack the mystery of the terrible disease that is Alzheimer’s, saving many of us from of being robbed, in our final years, of the memories of people, events and places that are the essence of our lives as human beings.”