Foreword by Dr Thomas Bird.
When most members of the Reiswig family reach their forties, something in their demeanor changes. A normally responsible father assigns a dangerous farm chore to a much-too-young son. A vigilant grandfather drives in front of an oncoming train. And they all develop 'the thousand mile stare', a wistful, blank gaze off into the distance, as though they are trying to find the missing pieces of themselves.
'Gary Reiswig, the last man standing in a generation ravaged by inherited, early-onset Alzheimer's disease, tells a family history like no other. As a child, he walked his adult relatives by the hand, so they wouldn't lose their way, and later he watched his brother, his sister, and numerous cousins die of the disease in middle age. His unique memoir explores the best hope that modern medical science offers to anyone facing the ultimate identity theft of Alzheimer's - especially Reiswig's own nieces and nephews, who are just now reaching the age when their destiny may express itself. Written with strength and passion, from a debt of familial love, The Thousand Mile Stare confronts a dread shared by families everywhere.' Dava Sobel, author of Galileo's Daughter, Longitude, and The Planets.
