47 pages • 1-hour read
The Last Love Note: A Novel
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Background
Medical Context: Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease in which deposits of certain proteins cause brain cells to die, progressively reducing brain function. Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia, which presents as a gradual decline in memory, behavior, cognitive ability, and social skills.
Early signs of Alzheimer’s include forgetting recent events or words for objects, misplacing items, or forgetting how to perform familiar tasks. The cognitive decline typically expands to affect reasoning skills and judgment, and changes in mood, personality, and behavior often result. Patients may experience anger and aggression, delusions, or sleep disruption. The disease can progress to the point where sufferers find themselves lost in familiar places or forget the names of family members. In later stages the loss of function extends to eating, control of bladder and bowels, and speech abilities.
While there are medications that in some cases can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, there is currently no cure. Treatment generally aims to provide the best possible quality of life for sufferers and support for families. Age is the greatest risk factor in developing Alzheimer’s, but environmental and genetic factors may also play a role. Scientists have identified a genetic factor that affects about 1% of Alzheimer’s patients.
Most diagnoses of Alzheimer’s take place in persons over the age of 65, but 5-6% of sufferers experience early-onset Alzheimer’s, also called young-onset Alzheimer’s, in which symptoms present before the age of 65. The causes for early onset of the disease aren’t known.
Whereas dementia typically progresses over years, rapid onset or rapidly progressing dementia (RPD) causes decline in a span of a few years or sometimes months. Typically, there is some other disease associated with or causing RPD that may be treatable or even reversed, but Alzheimer’s may play a part in the condition. Since Cameron is otherwise healthy, the causes of his early-onset and rapidly progressing Alzheimer’s are a mystery to Kate, and she concludes that genetics plays a factor, which drives her interest in finding funding for research since she wants to be able to protect her son.
Physical Context: The Auroras
One of Kate’s bucket list items is to visit Norway and see the aurora borealis, or northern lights. This is a highly symbolic event in the novel, and the environment adds insight into Kate’s personal journey.
The auroras are an atmospheric phenomenon that results when energized particles cast by the sun encounter the earth’s upper atmosphere. The planet’s magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles. When the charged particles collide, they are visible in the night sky as shifting curtains or sometimes ribbons of light. When they appear near the northern magnetic pole, they are called the aurora borealis; the southern pole sees the aurora australis.
The type of atom or molecule affected causes the color; nitrogen fluoresces as red, and oxygen radiates green; blues and purples can also be detected. The lights shift because the upper atmosphere, including the magnetic fields, is dynamic, with changing currents, density, and composition. While the auroras are taking place continually, the lights are only visible from Earth at certain times and in certain places, which makes seeing the auroras a prized and much sought-after experience. The aurora borealis is most often seen from northern Alaska, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The borealis is best viewed between September and April. Agencies like the Geophysical Institute share forecasts predicting visibility on any given day.
The aurora australis, also called the southern lights, often appears as a curtain or sheet of light, typically green but sometimes red. It is best seen in Antarctica but may also be visible in New Zealand, especially the South Island; southern Australia, especially Tasmania; southern Chile and Argentina; and sometimes in South Africa. In the epilogue, Kate photographs the aurora australis and feels Cam’s presence, bringing their love story full circle. Here, the aurora represents the completion of the journey she began when she visited the aurora borealis.
Before Kate leaves on her world travels, Hugh gives her a labradorite necklace to remind her of her desire to see the northern lights. Labradorite is a feldspar mineral found near Labrador, Canada, and elsewhere. Flakes within the mineral can give it an iridescent glow known as labradorescence, an optical effect that can simulate shifting lights. The necklace symbolizes Hugh’s willingness to let Kate go and live her own life while affirming the connection between them.
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