Peter Almond sits at his messy desk in his Surrey homes conservatory working on his memoirs. The 78-year-old ex-journalist started as a trainee about 60 years ago‚ and went on to cover major world events — from the Cold War to conflicts in Bosnia and Afghanistan
His peaceful retirement took an unexpected turn when he fell from a ladder while trimming tree branches (hitting his head on a bird bath). The accident led to tests that showed early memory problems: “Its such a silly thing that happened“ he recalls
I move things around and sort of know where Iʼve put them; but thats nothing new‚ Iʼve always been like that
After getting diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment‚ Almond joined a ground-breaking medical study. The trial lasted 3-yrs and included:
- Monthly IV treatments
- Regular brain scans
- Monitoring of daily activities
- Check-ups at different hospitals
The drug called donanemab seemed to help: “It kept me steady; I definitely wasnt getting any worse“ he explains. However since the trial ended in Sept-24‚ hes unsure what comes next — the treatment isnt yet available through regular medical care
Living with his extended family (including two grown-up sons) Almond keeps busy. He recently finished a London-to-Brighton bike ride for charity and does weekly 5k runs. Despite some challenges with complex tasks like paperwork‚ he maintains an active life-style
His wife Anna‚ a former nurse helps manage day-to-day activities in their multi-generational home. Together they care for their springer spaniel Bella‚ who replaced their previous dog that once joined Peter on a 1215-mile charity walk