ST's 'Scotty' diagnosed W/ Alzheimer's

[LivingDeadGirl]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor James Doohan (news), best known as Scotty, the feisty, Scottish-accented chief engineer on television's original "Star Trek" series, has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, his agent said on Wednesday.
Doohan, 84, who lives in Redmond, Washington, plans to attend a "Star Trek" fan convention in late August just before he is slated to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in what will likely be his last set of public appearances, agent Steve Stevens told Reuters.
He said Doohan has been experiencing memory loss for several months, a condition doctors first attributed to medication he was taking for Parkinson's disease (news - web sites), another progressive neurological disorder.
But he was later diagnosed as suffering from Alzheimer's, the degenerative disease that former President Ronald Reagan battled for years before his death last month.


Stevens said Doohan's brother suffered from Alzheimer's before dying two years ago. The Canadian-born actor also suffers from the chronic lung disease pulmonary fibrosis, which is believed to be linked to chemical exposure to hazardous substances during his military service in World War II.

[Heineken Skywalker]

Yeah, that's so sad. I know the last time I saw him and the rest of the ST cast receiving some award on TV, he didn't look too good and it looked like he needed help getting up the steps to the stage. I met him in the mid-eighties at a sci-fi con and he seemed like a really nice guy. Hope he doesn't suffer too much.

[LivingDeadGirl]

That's cool that you got to meet him. I just wanted to cry when I read about this. My grandmother had Alzheimers & it's a hard thing to deal with.

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That's the worst thing that can happen to anyone. Especially when the doctors tell you about it when you're still lively and comprehend the dread of it.
Wating to die, every day being less and less yourself watching your brain deteriorate slowly but irreversibly.
I wish you Scotty to stay yourself as long as possible.