World Cup winners 50 years on

Dreadful illness. Never paid much attention to it previously but seeing the impact it had on my mother, who died from the effects of the disease after a long downward spiral, and also on other members of my family [I firmly believe that the severe asthma attack which killed my father was brought on by worry at seeing mums alarming decline] certainly brought it home on a very personal basis as to what a wrecker Alzheimers really is. Due sympathy to the families of Ray, Martin and Nobby, three names which will always linked to happier, more successful times for the England team and maybe represented different atttudes as well.Not sure if their illness could be attributed to consistent heading of the ball as it was for people like Jeff Astle,John Ritchie etc but whatever,it will cause much pain and anguish to those involved.

Tragic, especially as their memories have been extinguished.
I was 13 and 11 months to the day when England won the jules rimet.......great age to be

Yep. I can vouch for the horrible condition which is alzheimers. It killed my dad
firstly by taking away who he was and then causing the illness that eventually took
him away. The causes of dementia are still not known though high blood pressure has been mentioned.
When dad had his legs amputated above the knee in 1999 i became his part and then full
time carer. From then on we had to go 4 times a year to derriford for him to have blood removed as
his body was producing too much for his now smaller frame. About 2008 the consultant
stopped this procedure and by 2010 he was diagnosed with late stage alzheimers? Previously he
was fine. So to me looking back that change may well have played a part in him developing it so fast.
He was wheelchair bound so all the toiletting and personal stuff including transfers by sliding
board we always did it together like a team. As the illness took hold though he started
forgetting how to help. He knew it too. He used to say "my brains going, my brains going"
or "aint got a clue". We thought it was just old age. It got worse though and we were forced to put
him in a home for a short spell as i just couldnt cope anymore. However we got him back home a few
weeks later as we adopted the care home procedures with a hoist installed and new toileting
methods.
That was when he was first diasgnosed. I asked the guy at mount gould privately how long before he was a
complete vegetable. He said about a year although he was already very late stage. That was late 2010.
He died late 2013. Even when he was very late stage though he would still have flashbacks of memory.
Throughout all this time my mother who had radiotherapy years earlier was getting weaker and
her breast cancer tumour started to develop again. She died at home in that summer of 2013. So
afterwards dad would have a flashback and say out of the blue. "Wheres mum she gone out".
This would happen like once a day. So i had to keep telling him that she had died. He would
look devastated then instantly forget again. In hindsight i shouldnt have kept telling him as his
behaviour seemed to deteriorate quicker and he started to fight me with everything. I was forced to
put him into a home again and he died with pnuemonia after only a week in there.
Its a horrible illness. In the end he would forget how to speak, eat and worse of all behave
in a way that ignored your love for him.
My heart goes out to those england boys and their families and all others who are unfortunate
enough to cross this disease.
As for 66 i have happy memories of watching the game with mum and dad as a 12yo. Though ended up
as a scaredeycat listening from the kitchen after west germanys late equaliser.
Hope i can keep those memories till the end.