THEACHILLESHEELS

CharlesBronson

WasanAmericanactorof"toughguy",or"macho"roles.Inmostofhisroles,he
playedapolicedetective,westerngunfighter,vigilante,boxerorMafiahitman.
Bronson'sfatherdiedwhenhewasonly10,andhewenttoworkinthecoal
mineslikehisolderbrothersuntilhewasdraftedforWorldWarII.Dementiais
theprogressivedeclineincognitivefunctionduetodamageordiseaseinthe
brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Although dementia is far more
commoninthegeriatricpopulation,itmayoccurinanystageofadulthood.Indementia,affected
areasincognitionmaybememory,attention,language,andproblemsolving.Thereisnocuretothis
illness,althoughscientistsareprogressinginmakingatypeofmedicationthatwillslowdownthe
process.Cholinesteraseinhibitorsareoftenusedearlyinthediseasecourse.

Ludwig van Beethoven

OneofthemostfamousdisabledpeopleinhistoryisLudwigvanBeethoven
(December17,1770March26,1827),whowasacomposerandpianistfrom
Germany.Hecomposedmanyworksofmusicincludingquartets,piano
concertos,andsymphonies.In1796,Beethovensufferedfromhearinglossand
ringingintheearwhichmadeitextremedifficultforhimtohearmusic.Although
hebecamenearlycompletelydeaf,hecontinuedtocreatemusicuntilhebecameill
withanunconfirmedillnessanddiedattheageof56.

Christopher Reeve: Quadriplegia

Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 October 10, 2004) was a famous
American actor who is best remembered for his role as Superman onscreen.
Reevewasthrownfromahorsein1995andbecameaquadriplegic.Hefounded
the Christopher Reeve Foundation and cofounded the ReeveIrvine Research
Centerinordertoassistwithresearchforthoseafflictedwithspinalcordinjuries.
Afterhisaccident,Reevecontinuedinthebusinessasanactoranddirector.He
alsowrotetwobooksabouthisexperiencesasaquadriplegic.

Stevie Wonder

One of the most beloved singers alive today, Stevie Wonder is a

musician, singer and songwriter who was born blind. He was born six
weeks early. The blood vessels at the back of his eyes had not yet
reached the front and aborted their growth, hence his blindness.
Considered a child prodigy, Stevie signed with his first record label at age 11, Motowns Tamla
label,and hes been performing since. Over his wildly successful music career, Stevie has recorded
more than 30 U.S. top ten hits, including his singles Superstition, Sir Duke and I Just Called to
Say I Love You.