ATTLEBORO -- Lois, John Wissler's companion for more than a dozen years, was an intellectual, a former teacher and a member of MENSA, the international organization made up of many of the world's most brilliant people.

But in the end Lois's body could not match her acute mind. Born with only one kidney, Lois began suffering in 1990 from kidney stones followed by kidney failure which eventually resulted in her being placed on dialysis. She died in 2001 of complications of end-stage renal disease.

While she struggled to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in her final years, Lois had the unquestioning support of her long-time friend who supervised her care, took her to doctors and ran her home dialysis machine.

Now Wissler has put their life together down in a book, `` Poignant Moments: A Caregiver's Perspective,'' which he hopes will give hope to all those who have committed themselves for caring for a seriously ill loved ones at home. He also hopes the book will raise the consciousness of the all-consuming role of caregivers which he said is little seen or appreciated.

Wissler, a first-time author, calls his book a `` non-fiction novel'' and prefers not to publicize Lois's last name. But area readers will recognize many of the characters and settings in the book which include local physicians, Sturdy Memorial Hospital and a network of local support organizations that work with the chronically ill. `` The part you don't realize is that you're not alone,'' said Wissler who obtained much of his information about helping Lois by doing research on the Internet and at the Attleboro Public Library. Ultimately, Wissler said he and Lois found many sources of help in caring for her through the hospital, a Fall River-based family services organization and local visiting nurses.

Wissler is scheduled to talk about his experiences and his book Feb. 7 at the Attleboro Council on Aging Center.

Wissler said that while he and thousands of other caregivers have taken on the responsibility to personally care for a loved one, the weight of 24-7 commitment can be daunting.

`` When I started to do my reading, I read about people feeling burnout,'' he said. `` I recognized I had been through that.''

Often, being a caregiver becomes all-consuming experience Wissler says. A chronic illness may require that a friend or loved one leave their jobs to remain with the sick person full-time. Caregivers frequently find themselves having to learn complex medical tasks and making unaccustomed decisions for their companions.

Financial support for caretakers and their patients are scant, sometimes to the point of requiring that they subsist on only a few hundred dollars per month. But for the truly committed, love is the only sustenance they need.

Wissler says he'd like to see such burdens lightened, particularly for dialysis patients who he says could benefit markedly from increased hours of treatment and greater flexibility to permit more dialysis at home. Currently, Medicare pays for only three dialysis treatments per week for those suffering acute kidney failure.

Wissler is backing a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would make more frequent dialysis available to patients.

Additional information about Wissler and his book can be found at http://poignantmoments.tripod.com.