Dear Readers...
This book, from my perspective, doesn’t fit neatly into any particular category. I attempted to create a story about a theme I’m very passionate about—the worth of memory and the legacy value of everything remembered. We know memories begin building the moment conscious life begins.
But what happens if the process reverses—uncontrollably—and the treasured fragments of what we know and reconstruct each day gradually disintegrate? Confronted with conscious annihilation—the death of mind before body—what life choices would you make? My story explores the basis for the choices of one man, Oliver Mathews. No one better understands the struggle. He has Alzheimer’s disease.
If Oliver Mathews could speak to us now through the timeless vapor, knowing the death of his body finally caught up with the far earlier death of his tangled, worn mind, would he still stand firm, fist raised, and say, “I am what I was”? I’d like to think so. For decades, scientists have been eager for a compendium of information to emerge capable of underpinning neurologic research on devastating diseases like Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s diseases. However, thus far, no cure is in sight or on the horizon. In fact, even a definitive diagnosis remains difficult in spite of the fact that AD is the most common form of dementia.
This leaves us on the brink of a global pandemic with devastating consequences. In my opinion, we’ve reached a tipping point. Why? For the first time in 12,000 years the age distribution curve for the human population is changing. Historically, the curve has looked like a pyramid, with the oldest people at the top. But life expectancy has doubled since 1840. As medical technology and economies advance, life expectancy increases—now by 7 minutes every day. By 2050 that same distribution will take the shape of a column. The primary risk factor for all forms of dementia is age. What does this mean for us and our grandchildren? I’ll use statistics from the US to give you an idea. Learn more—About Alzheimer’s (make this a link to AD page).
I’m sure Oliver would reach across all the distances of time and space and urge us to find a new path forward—to become informed and act to help inform the public on a grass roots level. He would do this because, AD claims a new victim every 7 seconds—and over 100 million Americans report being affected by the 5 million people that have succumbed to its mind numbing effects. No one knows what cause it. The disease cannot be reversed or prevented. It cannot specifically be diagnosed. There are only bio-markers, comparative brains scans, and behavioral indicators to suggest its probable presence. Despite the TV commercials most pharmacological treatments delay its impact by less than 24 months. Death is the only means of stopping its advance. Oliver would tell us that neurological diseases, which destroy the quality of life, will shape health care systems across all developing nations and disable those forced into caregiver roles robbing them of other social and economic contributions.
I’m sure Oliver would also say, “If you have the ability and means to help, then you have the responsibility and accountability to act, benefiting both you and the society in which you live.” As an author, I would simply bring to mind the opening chapter in Leaving the Bones Behind. It begins with a violent death brought on by a mysterious killer. “The dead body jolted, responding involuntarily to a mindless array of electrical pulses from nerve cells expressing some last command. It reminded him of the languid choreography of a caged animal in defeat. Movement but no pride of movement.”
I choose pride of movement.
All the best,
Gary Watson
Leaving the Bones Behind - (link to details)
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