Dr. Donald Weaver, (second from left), and his dedicated research team have generated a lot of excitement in the scientific community with their results based on unique computer modelling technology. (Photo: The Globe and Mail)
Dr. Donald Weaver’s goal in life is to never have to give bad news to an Alzheimer’s patient and their family again.
Over the 30 years he’s been a neurologist and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) researcher, Dr. Weaver has grown accustomed to informing patients and their families about AD’s grim prognosis.
“Last week I met yet another family that I really felt badly for,” says Dr. Weaver, sitting in his office at the Krembil Research Institute, where he’s director.
“This family brought in a loved one who is 53 years old, well-advanced in AD. They had seen their general practitioner, who told them, ‘Go see a neurologist, now.’ So the family comes in, and they ask, ‘Do you have a pill that’s going to make this all better?’ And you have to say, ‘No, I don’t.’ I tell them what they have and I tell them what the prognosis is. And the room is filled with tears,” says Dr. Weaver.
“I’ve been doing this for decades, and I’m tired of doing it. Someone needs to come up with a drug.”