The wife of the 2009 Nobel laureate in physics, Charles K. Kao, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, said Tuesday that her husband wanted to return to a quiet and undisturbed life and asked the media to respect his wishes. In an open letter delivered through the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), of which Kao once served as president, Kao's wife said that since the announcement Oct. 6 that Kao had been awarded the Nobel prize, they had received messages from friends from all over the world. 'We are overwhelmed by the sea of congratulatory messages from so many people,' the letter said. 'A Nobel laureate of Chinese ethnicity is a rare event and we understand the outpouring of happiness and pride for our people throughout the world wherever they live,' the letter said. 'We would like to thank all who have expressed concern about his (Kao's) health. Unfortunately there is no cure at present for Alzheimer's. Charles shares this problem of coping with Alzheimer's with other eminent persons, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher to name but two,' it continued. 'He (Kao) is eminently proud of his past achievements and excited at becoming a Nobel laureate -- an unexpected award. The press and media have interviewed him and he is happy they have found all the facts they need. So he is more than ready to return to a quiet and undisturbed life now, and he asks that the media respect this, ' the letter said. Kao, 75, was named one of three winners of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physics for his ground-breaking discoveries that led to the development of modern fiber- optic communication networks that transmit voice, video and high-speed Internet data around the world. 