‘Share the orange’ to help beat Alzheimer’s: Durkan
SDLP Foyle MP Mark Durkan has urged people in Derry and throughout the North to watch and share Alzheimer’s Research UK’s new awareness raising video #sharetheorange, which highlights the statistic that a brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease weighs 140g less than a normal brain – about the weight of an orange. The thought-provoking video featuring Doctor Who actor, Christopher Eccleston, confronts people’s misconceptions about dementia and demonstrates how it is not a natural part of getting older but caused by diseases which physically attack the brain, stripping it away. Christopher’s father, Ronnie, died with vascular dementia following a 14-year battle with the disease which affects over 830 people in Derry. Mr Durkan, who attended the charity’s exhibition at Westminster to learn more about the campaign, said “at the heart of the #sharetheorange campaign was a challenge for the public to watch and share the short video to help fight the misconception that dementia was “just a by-product of age.” Mr Durkan added: “Dementia is caused by diseases, most commonly Alzheimer’s, which physically attack an otherwise healthy brain. But diseases can be beaten.
“Major breakthroughs have been made in the battle against AIDS and cancer, and research will bring these same life-changing advancements in the field of dementia with the right support.
“While there are presently no treatments which can slow or stop the disease processes in the brain, people with dementia deserve that same hope.
“I will therefore continue to support efforts to develop new drugs and the work Alzheimer’s Research UK is doing to ensure that future treatments get to patients as quickly as possible. “I will also be calling for dementia research to get the backing it needs from government.” Mr Durkan concluded: “I would urge people in Derry and throughout the North to watch and share this important video which not only fights misunderstandings about the disease but helps all of us to realise that dementia is something we could, one day, defeat.” Dementia affects 850,000 people throughout the UK and an estimated 832 in Derry. To watch and share the #sharetheorange video visit http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org Photo shows Mr Durkan supporting the #sharetheorange campaign with Susan Mitchell, Policy and Public Affairs Advisor at Alzheimer’s Research UK.