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PT Library Hosts Author Niki Kapsambelis and DeMoe Family Members

Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. It is the only cause of death in the top 10 without any way to stop it or even slow it down.

Book Cover - Inheritance

‘The Inheritance: A Family on the Front Lines of the Battle Against Alzheimer’s Disease’ follows the DeMoe family’s courageous journey into Alzheimer’s research as well as the dramatic history of the disease, one of the great medical mysteries of our time.

The Peters Township Public Library will welcome Niki Kapsambelis, author of The Inheritance, on Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. Register to attend at www.ptlibrary.org/events or call 724.941.9430 #1. A book signing will follow the program.

The DeMoe family of Tioga, North Dakota, has the most devastating form of the disease: an inherited genetic mutation that causes the disease in virtually 100 percent of all cases, striking its victims in their 40s, killing them in their 50s. Even more sobering is that a person who has the mutation carries a 50 percent chance of passing it on to their children.

Rather than give up in the face of such news, when the DeMoes learned what was happening to them, they agreed to spend their precious, abbreviated years as part of a worldwide study that seeks to find a successful treatment for Alzheimer’s by 2025. Multiple generations of the family are participating in the study, which is now testing experimental prevention drugs. If successful, these drugs have the potential to avert an international pandemic.

Two members of the DeMoe family will appear at the library event to speak about their experiences. They are Robin McIntyre, 33, and her sister Jessica, 36. Their mother, Lori (DeMoe) McIntyre, died from Alzheimer’s in February 2016 at the age of 57. Before she died, Lori was a key contributor to The Inheritance.

This program is brought to you through generous funding by Washington Financial Bank.

Niki Kapsambelis

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