Well, everyone I am about to write about does indeed have a brain but that is not the problem. The problems stem from the chaos that erupts when a brain goes haywire. It’s not just the medical problems but the emotional, spiritual and relational effects that also prove to be devastating. Each of the following books describe in vivid details the extent of a person’s life that brain trauma effects and the toll taken on those in care-taking roles.
*
In 1996, Dr. Jill Taylor, a 37 year old neuroanatomist, experienced a massive stroke that erased her abilities to walk, talk, do mathematics, read, or remember details. What follows is a gripping first hand account of her recovery and unique understanding of what exactly happened inside her head as the stroke was in progress. She uses her knowledge to formulate a plan for her complete recovery. I’m a sucker for books like this and was fascinated from start to finish. I was amazed at her level of awareness and cognizance to what was occurring medically and emotionally inside her body. I’ve always wondered how much people realize in the moment when something catastrophic is occurring. Taylor calmly watched as her speech, mobility, ability to process and think faded away. Since the stroke damaged the left side of her brain, her right side took over rapidly and she felt an immediate sense of well being, completely absent of fear. Though not the same person now that she was before her stroke, she claims to like herself better! This book would be a god send for anyone with a friend or family member who has experienced traumatic brain injury due to illness or accident. Taylor outlines very clearly what a patient needs and doesn’t need in order to regain as much brain function as possible. She went on to be named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2008. Somewhat surprisingly, this book has flown off the shelves everywhere and is well worth your time.
To Love What Is is Alix Kates Shulman personal account of living with a brain injured spouse. A fall from a loft in their Maine vacation home changes both of their lives forever. Her 75 year old husband, Scott experienced a devastating long term brain injury as a result of his fall from their bed loft. The medical result is a litany of problems ranging from broken bones to internal bleeding to long term memory and personality changes. How all of this affects them as individuals and as a couple is widespread and heart wrenching. As Shulman says on the book flap: “one day it happens: the dreaded event that will change your life forever, the more dreadful because, though you’ve half expected it, you don’t know what form it will take or when it will come, or whether or not you will rise to the challenge.” Shulman is a gifted and beautiful writer, whose previous twelve books include novels, memoirs and children’s books. Her prose and descriptions bring you into the very heart of their marriage and their world. She takes the reader back to what their lives and marriage was before the accident which was poignant and moving. Frankly, I found the book impossible to put down. The subject matter is somewhat depressing but this is real life….real love…real commitment….in a time when commitment seems an antiquated ideal. She lives out her love every second of every day. Shulman is brutally honest and uses raw, throbbing words to envelope you in what seems at times to be a living hell. I ached as she talked about her loneliness and her isolation from the vibrant life she lived before. I felt her sense of responsibility as well as her desperation to create some new life for herself so she can continue to do, in part, some of the things she used to do while living up to a responsibility to be with her husband in sickness and in health. A reviewer had this to say:
“…A haunting meditation on a love more enduring than the body or mind…a potent reminder that even an irreparably altered life is still a life to be cherished. Shulman describes life on the other side: the ongoing anxieties, risks, and surprising rewards she experiences as she reorganizes her world and her priorities to care for her husband and discovers that what may have seemed a grim life-sentence to some has evolved into something unexpectedly rich.”
*
The last (brain) book on my radar, this week, is Still Alice by Lisa Genova. There really is something captivating about this story. Even though it’s fiction, the story and the characters are very much alive and kicking. It’s the story of Alice Howland, who at 50 is a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and world renowned linguistics expert. She has a husband and three grown children. The horrifying punch line is that she develops early onset Alzheimer’s. This is Genova’s first novel but she shows a wonderful sense of maturity and is a beautiful and rich writer. There are times I wished I could close my eyes and not have to watch scenes from her rapidly advancing forgetfulness, confusion, and denial of what is happening to her. Of course the reaction of her husband and children will tear your heart out for all of them. I couldn’t look away though. This book was so good in fact, that I am convinced I have this disease and everyday, I seem to amass more evidence as to its validity! A haunting but powerfully important book to read.
-Norma
Comments are closed.