Love, Gasoline Pellets, and Alzheimer’s Disease

Carl Kegerreis, the author of the exciting novel, I Wish I Had Those Gasoline Pellets, calls his wife the love of his life. Blissfully married for 58 years and 3 months before she passed away on March 1, 2021, the author made his wife his inspiration in creating the persona of one of the main characters, the always gentle Lilly. Accompanying her husband, Haywood Runyan, through thick and thin, Lilly did not shy away from danger and steadfastly stood by the side of her better half. In love and war, Lilly was ever loyal and beautiful.

If only life is a novel, the confines of each of its pages will perpetuate the essence of true love between two people. Old age, sickness, and even death will become an afterthought. However, it is sad but true that the fairy tale with the beautiful ending does not extend to the real world we live in. Nor does love last forever. Our being mortal prevents that from happening. It proved the same for the author. His wife, unfortunately, developed Alzheimer’s disease, an illness with no cure where protein plaques and tangles develop in the brain’s neurons.  When the neurons die, the brain tissues degenerate until the damage to the brain becomes irreversible. The author witnessed, firsthand, his wife’s courageous stand against the creeping disease. Just like in all other cases of Alzheimer’s disease, doctors cannot explain fully how it develops. It is a mystery that perplexes men of science until this very day. Not helping the cause is the fact that the diagnosis is almost always made when the symptoms of dementia, like extreme memory loss and confusion, are already far advanced.  

In memory of his wife who passed away very recently, Carl Kegerreis is donating the proceeds of his book to the Alzheimer’s Research Institute. By doing so, the love that he shared with his wife can shine like a beacon of hope to all those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease.

Gasoline Pellets, Miracle Cures, and Alzheimer’s Disease

Whether in fact or fiction, miracles happen because one makes a leap of faith. Carl Kegerreis, in his astoundingly remarkable work of fiction, I Wish I Had Those Gasoline Pellets, turns the world on its head with a storyline based on self-reproducing gasoline pellets that synthesize water into gasoline. With the supply of natural gas held hostage by tragic events in Ukraine and the price of crude oil in the global market skyrocketing, the world could benefit from such a miracle. 

Unfortunately, as the author himself apologetically declared in the preface, a work of wonder in the guise of gasoline pellets can only be found in books or inside the author’s colorful imagination. Or does it?

Humankind has always relied on miracles. There is always that underlying belief that a miracle is bound to happen soon. Like Russia will suddenly decide to pull out of Ukraine and that part of the world goes back to normal. A happenstance like that will mean that we will no longer need to pull a rabbit out of a hat or gasoline pellets to solve our energy woes. The author, Carl Kegerreis, had such a momentous event in his life when his wife and the book’s inspiration fell prey to the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease, an illness that requires a miracle because there is no known cure. With an estimated 5.8 million Americans over the age of 65 caught in its wicked grasp in 2020, it is a wonder in itself that no cure has been found since the German neuropsychiatrist, Dr. Alois Alzheimer, first declared its existence more than a century ago.

Like two peas out of the same pod, gasoline pellets and Alzheimer’s disease both need a miracle. It is toward this end that Carl Kegerreis is directing his attention to funding research and efforts to stamp out the disease. Like the ever-hopeful Lilly in his book, it is never really too late to expect a miracle.   

by Carl Kegerreis

Gasoline Pellets and the Courage to Face Alzheimer’s Disease

Courage takes on many forms. One of these is the courage to speak out when the better part of valor says otherwise. At present, when conflicts initiated by power-hungry world leaders, like the crisis in Ukraine, are cropping up all over the world, standing up for what is right and just takes extraordinary courage. Carl Kegerreis, in the groundbreaking novel, I Wish I Had Those Gasoline Pellets, illustrates the real meaning of courage under fire through the lovely and irrepressible Lilly.

Spurred on by the needless killing of American servicemen in the Vietnam War, a young Lilly joins a war protest in Washington, DC. The group of college kids who were with her chanced upon Captain Oley Washington, Jr., a military war hero, who was on his way to the White House to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor from the President of the US. Blinded by righteous indignation and bloodlust, Lilly’s companions nearly bludgeoned Oley to death. Despite the possible harm to herself, Lilly pleaded with her companions to stop the beating. Oley suffered amnesia because of the incident but gained a second chance at life because of Lilly’s timely intervention.

Carl Kagerreis found inspiration in the character of Lilly through his wife who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. The disease which is characterized by progressive memory loss and confusion is a leading cause of dementia. Carl’s wife passed away on March 1, 2021. Throughout her ordeal, she showed Lilly’s grace and composure under pressure. 

Alzheimer’s disease has never been fully-explained despite modern advances in technology. Until the present day, the disease that slowly destroys brain cells has no known cure. Research done on Alzheimer’s disease has produced treatments and procedures to alleviate symptoms only. Carl hopes to contribute to the elimination of the disease in honor of his wife.