In Lynne's Last Christmas, Dr. Hricik recalls the last four years of his wife's life during which she suffered memory loss and frequent falls. He also discusses the impact of her illness upon his children and close friends, and actually debated whether to have his children read the manuscript before it was published. All agreed that they should. "They cried when they read the final draft, but in sharing their thoughts, it brought back memories—both the good times and the bad times—we'd had during Lynne's life,” he said.
The author also goes into detail about the condition itself. Dementia, he explains, isn't a specific disease but rather a term that captures the group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills. Though sometimes confused with Alzheimer's disease, dementia is the overall group of which Alzheimer's makes up 60-80 percent of cases.
For those who've ever tried to imagine a post-apocalyptic Earth, Dr. Donald Hricik has come up with some interesting scenarios of his own in Our Great Escape; Part 1: Dumbers. The year is 2360. Survivors are being groomed for a new life on one of Jupiter's moons after having been kept alive for centuries on mind-altering drugs.
Here's the twist. The man picked to head the exodus to the edge of the solar system, a doctor, discovers that these survivors are losing their memories and emotions and even dying in large numbers — the results of a flaw in the drug's design. The author grapples with larger themes of surviving a man-made planetary catastrophe as well as whether or not life is even worth it if it must be lived on mind-altering drugs that come at great cost. First in a two-part series, Dr. Hricik admits he wrote Our Great Escape while undergoing seismic shifts in his own life.
I had a chance to email him to learn more.
Why did you decide to write this Lynne's Last Christmas?
Immediately after my wife passed away, I decided to write down some of the memories I had of her prolonged illness and death - really more as a diary than something I anticipated publishing. The terrible thing about dementia is that it robs a person of his/her life memories. I wanted my memories preserved in some way, perhaps subconsciously worrying that I too may lose my memory some day. Ironically, I was in the middle of writing another book - a two part science fiction called "Our Great Escape" when Lynne died. In fact, "Our Great Escape; Part 1: Dumbers" was published just one day before she expired! I took a break from writing Part 2 to complete my diary. I shared the latter manuscript with my adult children who encouraged me to publish it as a memoir - thinking that it would provide solace to others who have cared for loved ones with dementia or other terminal illnesses.
Why is it important to understand the different forms of memory problems?
Dementia is common, probably affecting 3 to 5 million people in the US alone. Unfortunately, the term "Alzheimers Disease" is often used synonymously when referring to dementia. Although Alzheimers Disease is possibly the most common form of dementia, it has a classic clinical presentation and can only truly be diagnosed with examination of brain tissue (either a brain biopsy or autopsy) - and these procedures are only rarely performed. Alzheimers Disease is almost certainly different from the loss of memory and cognitive skills that are common with advanced age - something best referred to as "senile dementia". The latter is often attributed to aging of blood vessels that affect the brain and other organs. A related entity is "multi-infarct dementia" which occurs in people who have suffered multiple nonfatal "strokes". The fact is that that we know know very little about the root cause of these and other forms of dementia. When you don't understand the cause of a disease process, it is very difficult to formulate treatments. So, as a very start, I think it is essential that neurologists, and other doctors start first by classifying the various causes of dementia and memory loss as the platform for research to develop effective treatments.
How does hospice care fit in when families are facing serious illness?
Hospice care was the right choice for me and my family and we chose HOME Hospice care because I personally never wanted my wife to die thinking that we had abandoned her in a nursing home or a similar facility. I would never say this is the only way to deal with terminal illness. Every family has to choose the option best for their loved one and for themselves. The care provided by our Hospice team was some of the best nursing care I have witnessed in my 40 year career as a physician. In retrospect, I think this is true because Hospice care (unlike care in traditional settings like a hospital or outpatient clinic) is truly interdisciplinary - not just doctors and nurses, but also social workers, nursing assistants, music therapists, and clergy - who all communicate with each other and have a common goal of providing comfort and solace to the patient and the family. At the end of our of our 5 months of Hospice Care, I felt as though my children and I had had bonded with members of the Hospice team and we still keep in touch with some of them.
What are some things that are helpful when comforting the bereaved?
I am still learning that bereavement is a prolonged process (as of today it's only been 10 months since Lynne passed away), so my experience with Lynne's death is still relatively early. Immediately after the death of a loved one, I believe most people - irrespective of how religious they are - ask the same questions: Is there life after death? If so, what is it like? Will I see her again in some new life? If so, will it be be the young vibrant woman I married 40 years ago or the confused and emaciated woman she became just before she died? I think it is helpful to openly discuss these questions with family and friends as part of the grieving process. Not that any of them have the answers - but because it helps us all remember that "dying is just a part of life" and more importantly, that life goes on.
Why did you decide to write this Our Great Escape, and how do you choose what themes to incorporate?
This is my first attempt at science fiction. I was motivated by the works of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, having concerns, as we all mostly do, about the direction things are going in our world. More specifically, I have concerns about people being controlled by governments - becoming mindless subjects at the mercy of power-seeking politicians. Thus, a main theme for Our Great Escape is memory loss - in this case, memory loss induced by drugs administered by "leaders" who have taken it upon themselves to determine the fate of the human race. In this context, my wife slowly developed severe dementia during the time I was writing this book - and ultimately died from the disorder. As she was getting sicker, I realized that the themes of my science fiction broadened - the drugs caused memory loss but also antagonized the effects of aging. When the drugs lost effectiveness, people died from rapid aging and rapidly progressive dementia. Although the book is a science fiction, the themes clearly reflect what was going on in my real life at the time.
What can science fiction teach us about real life?
There are certainly many forms of science fiction ranging from super-hero fantasies and stories of monsters to the post-apocalyptic genre that is more the case with "Our Great Escape". Clearly, dealing with my wife's death parallels the story's fascination with the end of all human life. For me, science fiction allows me to deal with the classic concept of good versus evil surrounded by fantasies that make the conflict more entertaining. At the end of the day, good science fiction should reflect real life conflicts surrounded by fantasy.
Dr. Hricik is currently Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and served as the Chief of Nephrology and Hypertension at University Hospital's Cleveland Medical Center from 1993 to 2017. His research interests have focused on complications of immunosuppression and immune monitoring of kidney transplant recipients. He has published more than 180 articles and books, and 35 book chapters.
Royalties from the book are being donated to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America and to the University Hospitals of Cleveland Hospice Service.
To read more about Dr. Hricik, please visit: https://dhricik.wixsite.com/
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