A Family on the Front Lines of the Battle Against Alzheimer's Disease
Starred review from January 15, 2017
In her debut, journalist Kapsambelis builds a compelling narrative about Alzheimer's disease around one North Dakota extended family.In sections alternating among sagas of specific families, research in medical laboratories, and sweeping explanations of dementia, the author demonstrates beyond doubt that although Alzheimer's acquired its name in the early 20th century (first described by Alois Alzheimer in 1906), it has devastated human brains for thousands of years. Much of what used to pass for old-age senility has actually been virulent dementia, of which Alzheimer's is a specific type. A normal path of this abnormal disease starts with inconsistent memory, moves to the loss of motor skills, and culminates in a drawn-out, heartbreaking death phase. Alzheimer's can rip apart families, often compromising the physical and mental health of the caregivers as well as the patients. Kapsambelis focuses largely on early-onset Alzheimer's, which sometimes manifests as early as age 35. By focusing on the DeMoe family of rural North Dakota, the author was able to spend time with family members while they were still lucid. When Gail, an accomplished, lively young woman, married her husband, Galen DeMoe, she had no idea he harbored a mutant gene that would doom him and maybe any children they birthed to early-onset Alzheimer's and excruciating declines. As detection techniques to spot the specific mutant gene progressed, each of the six children born to Galen and Gail had to decide if they wanted to be tested. Some of the six wanted to know quickly, while others delayed. If they carried the mutant gene, they also had to decide if they would risk having children of their own. In addition to clear discussions of the disease's history and research, Kapsambelis successfully portrays Gail, Galen, and their extended family as fully fleshed individuals. An educational and emotional chronicle that should resonate with a wide variety of readers.
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November 1, 2016
Early-onset Alzheimer's results from an inherited genetic mutation that has a 50 percent chance of being passed on. Five of the DeMoes' six children inherited the gene but instead of despairing agreed to join in a worldwide study of the disease.
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2016
Early-onset Alzheimer's results from an inherited genetic mutation that has a 50 percent chance of being passed on. Five of the DeMoes' six children inherited the gene but instead of despairing agreed to join in a worldwide study of the disease.
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from March 1, 2017
Would you want to know if you were going to develop early-onset Alzheimer's disease, which would rob you of your memory and might kill you in middle age? This is the issue facing the DeMoe family of North Dakota. Journalist Kapsambelis tells the DeMoes' story and that of Alzheimer's research. The DeMoes are one of a few cohorts identified with a genetic mutation that results in a 100 percent chance of the disease in carriers and a 50 percent chance in their offspring. The author focuses on husband and wife Galen (Moe) and Gail DeMoe. Moe's mother and two of his four siblings all died of the disease, and he and Gail had six children before it was known that the disease was genetically linked. At the same time, Kapsambelis follows the pioneers of Alzheimer's research, who have carried on a tireless fight for attention and support and whose work is now promising. A science text that reads like a mystery and treats its subjects with humanity and sympathy, this volume should be of interest to everyone, as Alzheimer's is now known to be a major cause of dementia in the elderly and because we are facing a potential epidemic as the baby boom generation ages. VERDICT An excellent, accessible addition for most public libraries. [Prepub Alert 9/19/16.]--Nancy H. Fontaine, Norwich P.L., VT
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.