Roger Kean
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2020 11:56 am
Some sad news was posted on FB by Roger (it's a public post) a couple of days ago. I don't really check FB any more so I only became aware of it today via a post on Lemon64.
Since it's a public post and people may not want to go to FB, I will quote it here:
Since it's a public post and people may not want to go to FB, I will quote it here:
At the end of October 1985 my father Joe Kean passed away from Motor Neurone Disease. In all that time, while physicians have gained a wider understanding of the multivarious symptoms, medical science has come no nearer to finding a cure, or even an ameliorating intervention.
I now confront the same condition my father faced some 37 years ago when he received his prognosis of two years – give or take.
The first manifestation became apparent after last Christmas. Consultation with neurophysiology at Hereford suggested that I should undergo electrical muscular tests to determine what was happening. Those, to take place in early April were postponed by the coronavirus until mid-July, and on the 30th I received the diagnosis that I do indeed have MND – better known in America as ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Prognosis runs from a year to possibly five, all dependent on where the first manifestation started – upper limbs or bulbar (thoracic / larynx) region. In my case it’s not clear which it is, though I have symptoms in both regions.
Otherwise, as things stand I am fit, the main complaints being an inability to hold my head upright for long, weakness in the hands, with a lack of thumb-forefinger coordination (doing up shirt buttons is a nightmare and cookery and baking now a thing of the past), and increasingly impaired speech/swallowing.
I’m determined to remain cheerful and not let it get me down – I’m sure there will be time enough to feel sorry for myself farther down the road. So, I would ask everyone to feel the same way about it. However, this is this the reason why Chris Wilkins hinted a few weeks back that the current CRASH Annual will be the last I edit and lay out, although I will certainly complete the ZZAP!64 Annual 2021, which is currently some 60% done.
I felt it sensible to broadcast this rather than allow rumours to create confusion, and I wish to thank everyone who has already expressed sympathy and may well do so in the future.
Keep smiling.
