It’s been a while. Where to start? How about with “24?”

It’s hard to be incredulous about Fox’s “24” when the show is 11 episodes in.  But what were the Fox writers thinking?  Better yet  —  get them working for the U.S. government because they obviously know how to cure prion diseases!  How on Earth does Jack Bauer come back from the weaponized strain of CJD that was killing him last season?  There’s no explanation of how he got well.  He shows no signs of ever being sick!  I guess that’s Hollywood for you.  Damn.

I would have written this season’s “24” by staying true to CJD and what it does to the human body. Even Jack Bauer is susceptible to that.  Sure, my “24” screenplay would have been more of an under-budget psychological thriller taking place on a hospital room set.  But to the writers of “24,” I say this: as someone who has lived through watching a loved one die of the terminal terror known as CJD, I can tell you my mother’s final days were more stressful and action-packed than any Hollywood writer could imagine.

I’ve been too busy to think about CJD  —  which is often a good thing.  But the good news is that I finished my college degree finally.  I’ll be graduating with a BLS from Boston University in May.  BU has sucked up a ton of time over the last three years.  It’s the main reason I’ve never gained momentum with the blog or with anything I’ve wanted to do regarding raising CJD awareness.

I’m ready to usher in a new era where I can find the people in charge, ask them my burning questions, and post what I learn here.  We’ll see how that goes.

There’s so much more I want to learn about this disease that killed my mother, her brother, and their uncle.  There is even more I want to learn about my own chances, genetic testing, and who the hell is doing what to stop this disease.

–@heatherlarson