Billy's Halo

A memoir of love, science, and a parent's death this book is a blend of personal revelations and professional insights. It provides an explanation of the way our brains and bodies work in sickness and in health.

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As Ruth McKernan's father slowly succumbs to a mysterious
illness, she relies on her professional training as a neuroscientist
to help her work through her fear and grief. This moving
memoir of love, science, and a parent's death is an inspired
blend of personal revelations and professional insights.
Science is just one way of looking at life. As a neuroscientist working at
the forefront of medical research, it is Ruth McKernan's way. For a
while it was her father Billy's way, too. Indeed, science was a language
they shared—until Billy inexplicably lapsed into a coma after being admitted
to the hospital.
As Ruth watches her father's life ebbing away, she struggles to understand
what is happening, grasping for control of the scientific knowledge that would
allow her to objectify and analyze his medical condition. A postman's son who
parlayed his formidable intellect and natural strength of character into a successful
career, Billy was always a difficult and demanding father. But it took his
collapse and slow slide toward death for Ruth to realize how intense her feelings
were for him.
Ruth recounts the story of Billy's last year while exploring a collection of
cutting-edge scientific themes—delving into memory, consciousness, microbes,
and stem cells—gracefully linking them together like pearls strung upon the
thread of her father's life. A true labor of love, Billy's Halo shines with heartfelt
emotion, yet manages to provide a crystal-clear explanation of the way our
brains and bodies work in sickness and in health.Table of Contents


Front Matter
Introduction
1 Memory
2 Man Versus Microbe
3 Consciousness
4 The Balanced Brain
5 Stem Cells
6 Mood
7 Connections
8 Genes
9 Stress
10 Falling Leaves
11 Time
12 Distance
Index