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Factual: Life Stories

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives.

Outlook: 05/03/2010

05/03/2010

BBC World Service - Outlook, 05/03/2010

Early Alzheimers, swimming elephant, indian internet dating, double earthquake survivor.

Early onset Alzheimers, swimming elephant, indian internet dating, double earthquake survivor.

Personal stories behind the news from all over the world with Ritula Shah. 

Living With Early Onset Alzheimer's
Former estate agent Mark Priddy was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease at the age of just 36. It came as a shock to Mark and his wife Dione. They decided to make the most of the time they, and their two young daughters, had together. Four years later, Mark is in hospital and his condition is deteriorating rapidly. Once a keen runner and cyclist, Mark no longer recognises the woman he fell in love with. He can't even smile. 

Swimming Elephant 
Elephants don't normally like sea water but in the Andaman Islands ten elephants were taught to swim in the sea to carry logs between the islands. That was in the seventies, now only three of those elephants survive. Two have have been returned to the wild and no longer swim. That leaves only one seaborne elephant - Rajan.

In Search of Love
Online Dating is one of the most popular innovations of the internet, and one of the biggest markets is India. Arranged marriages have always been the norm in India but the internet has revolutionised the business of finding a life partner. Indian dating websites now boast some 25 million members.

Double Earthquake Survivors 
In January, Stanley took his family of nine and fled Haiti after the devastating earthquake. He managed to leave with the help of his brother Pierre, a reggaeton singer. But he ended up in Chile, and was still there when nature struck again.

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