Last Nerve: A Memoir of Illness and the Endurance of Family

One woman’s story of confronting the monster under the bed

Last Nerve is much more than a trauma memoir. The story begins as Mindy Uhrlaub learns that she carries a gene for the fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The news, while not surprising, is compounded by the fact that she is caring for her husband, who is undergoing chemotherapy for stage four lymphoma, raising a child with serious behavioral issues, and watching her own mother die of ALS. As she navigates the new territory of having three close relatives with life-threatening situations, she also has to come to terms with the fact that she may have passed the fatal gene to her two sons. Not one to fold, Mindy faces her circumstances head-on, realizing that her race for the elusive cure for ALS is not only for herself but also for her kids, her cousins, and the thousands of other carriers of the fateful gene.

Despite the incredible strain of all these challenges, Mindy manages them with amazing tenderness, persistence, and love. Far from a depressing story of misfortune, Last Nerve is as uplifting and witty as it is raw and real. It’s a testament to hope, the endurance of family, and the resilience of the human spirit.