Tavis Smiley . Special Feature . Road to Health . Guest . David Hyde Pierce

David Hyde Pierce

Actor, Alzheimer's Advocate

Right now we are able to fund 25% of the proposals for research on Alzheimer's. If you said we're gonna fund 25% of the war on terror, I think people might have a problem with that.

Q: You've been working on this issue for a long time, but hasn't the stem cell research debate heated up lately with Ronald Reagan's death?

I've been working with the Alzheimer's Association for about 10 years, and, you raise a good point. It does heat up periodically. And our job is to keep the heat on because Alzheimer's keeps on going.

Q: Tell me your story.

My grandfather had it. This was in the mid- to late-eighties. We didn't know anything about Alzheimer's, didn't even know that's what it was at the time. She [my grandmother] took care of him, kept it from the rest of the family, as people often do. And ultimately he started wandering, and she'd have to call the emergency squads to have him brought back.

Q: Are you scared that you might develop Alzheimer's?

I couldn't say that I'm scared. I think about it every day. Every time I forget something, I think is this it? You know? But really, I look around at my brother and sisters, I look around at my friends, and I think I cannot watch someone else that I love go through this.

David Hyde Pierce earned three Emmys for his role on Frasier. He's played characters in such films as Sleepless in Seattle, Full Frontal and Hellboy. Pierce is also a tireless advocate on behalf of the millions of Americans who suffer from Alzheimer's disease.

Related Episode

September 9th, 2004

Listen to Mr. Pierce

Transcript

Recommended Web Sites

Learn about research and support from the Alzheimer's Association.

Visit the National Institute on Aging's Alzheimer's disease education and referral center.

Find out about signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease from the Mayo Clinic.

Published: September 15, 2005