Clinical Trial

When Professor Laura Ranum received an offer from the University of Florida to found and direct a new Center for NeuroGenetics, her husband and the author of this book, Bert Ranum, concluded he couldn't stand in the way of such a great opportunity even though a move would require that he take the Florida bar exam and impose a significant risk to his law practice. In these pages, Bert tells the story of how that move to Florida turned into an odyssey of science, hope and love as he and Laura confronted his diagnosis with ALS, the disease that had killed his mother and several members of his extended family.

Bert describes the clinical trial for a new drug that he hopes will save his life. As you learn about the science behind that drug and ALS, you'll discover the amazing intersection between Laura's decades of research and Bert's disease and wonder with Bert whether this is just coincidence or the hand of God or the unknowable synchronicity of the universe. Bert recounts how he and Laura met and fell in love and introduces you to their family. It is this family that sustains Bert and gives him strength for what lies ahead.