The Inheritance, Niki Kapsambelis
The Inheritance, Niki Kapsambelis
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The Inheritance
A Family on the Front Lines of the Battle Against Alzheimer's Disease

Author: Niki Kapsambelis

Narrator: Callie Beaulieu

Unabridged: 9 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/14/2017


Synopsis

Every sixty-nine seconds, someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Of the top ten killers, it is the only disease for which there is no cure or treatment. For most people, there is nothing that they can do to fight back. But one family is doing all they can.

The DeMoe family has the most devastating form of the disease that there is: early onset Alzheimer’s, an inherited genetic mutation that causes the disease in 100 percent of cases, and has a 50 percent chance of being passed onto the next generation. Of the six DeMoe children whose father had it, five have inherited the gene; the sixth, Karla, has inherited responsibility for all of them. But rather than give up in the face of such news, the DeMoes have agreed to spend their abbreviated years as part of a worldwide study that could utterly change the landscape of Alzheimer’s research and offers the brightest hope for future treatments—and possibly a cure.

Drawing from several years of in-depth research with this charming and upbeat family, journalist Niki Kapsambelis tells the story of Alzheimer’s through the humanizing lens of these ordinary people made extraordinary by both their terrible circumstances and their bravery.

About Niki Kapsambelis

Niki Kapsambelis was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. She worked for several years as a newswoman for the Associated Press in New England, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. Her work has appeared in publications around the world, including the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and People magazine. She lives in Pennsylvania.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Carmen

In the United States, the DeMoes and the Noonans had the difficult but available option of choosing to know their fate. Some did, and some didn't. Genetic counselors guided them through those decisions, gave them variables to think about and advice that helped each person make this very individual c......more

Goodreads review by Tyler

Speechless. What a magnificent book that delves deep into the science behind Alzheimer's disease and the search for a cure, and delves even deeper into the story of the incredible DeMoe family. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you have ever witnessed firsthand the devastating impact......more

Goodreads review by David

For me – for many people – few things are as frightening as the loss of self that Alzheimer’s inflicts on its victims. Writing with clarity, compassion, and insight, Kapsambelis brings us into the DeMoe family, cursed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, and shows us the damage wrought by the disease, the......more