The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Legend Denis Law diagnosed with dementia
Denis Law has been diagnosed with mixed dementia, his trust has announced. The “Lawman”, 81, best known for his days playing for Manchester United and Scotland, said in a statement he has “good days and bad days”, and acknowledged that the road ahead would be “hard, demanding, painful and ever-changing”.
He has been praised for his courage in being open about his struggles by the Alzheimer’s Society charity, which is to benefit from a fundraising walk by Mr Law’s daughter, Di.
Mr Law, originally from Aberdeen, said: “I am at the point where I feel I want to be open about my condition. I have been diagnosed with ‘mixed dementia’, which is more than one type of dementia, in my case this being Alzheimer’s and vascular.
“This has been an extremely difficult year for everyone and the long periods of isolation have certainly not helped. It is an incredibly challenging and problematic disease and I have witnessed many friends go through this.
“You hope that it won’t happen to you, even make jokes about it while ignoring the early signs because you don’t want it to be true. You get angry, frustrated, confused and then worried – worried for your family, as they will be the ones dealing with it.
“However, the time has come to tackle this head on, excuse the pun.
“I recognise how my brain is deteriorating and how my memory evades me when I don’t want it to and how this causes me distress in situations that are beyond my control.
“I do understand what is happening and that is why I want to address my situation now while I am able, because I know there will be days when I don’t understand and I hate the thought of that right now.”
Through the Denis Law Legacy Trust, the former footballer has supported a number of community engagement projects, with particular focus on his home city.
Support for Mr Law and his family has flooded social media, with Manchester United tweeting that they admired “your openness, your bravery and your humility”.
Kate Lee, chief executive at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We have offered support to Denis Law and the whole family.
“We are incredibly thankful to the family for choosing to raise vital funds for us.”