A Family Tradition
— Carlos Briceño

Two weekends ago, my wife, Jill, and I said goodbye to our daughter, Alexus, son-in-law, René, and their cats as they headed back home to Boston. Because remote work is now common during the pandemic, Alexus and her husband were able to spend December and early January with us…

It’s not often that I see my wife, Jill, cry. She says crying makes her feel worse. As a result, she doesn’t stay sad for long and rarely sheds tears. She’s able to compartmentalize her emotions, and is usually levelheaded and pragmatic when talking about them. When the doctor delivered…

Family has always been important to my wife, Jill. However, she wouldn’t plan many trips due to concerns about travel costs. Jill’s attitude shifted after she tested positive for Huntington’s disease in 2018. She saw every long holiday weekend as an opportunity to visit our loved ones. Because our…

I tend to be more grateful these days than I used to be, and to help you understand why, I’ll share a little story. I’ll also list several reasons why I’ve been particularly grateful lately. On Christmas Eve, I had to be at work at 10:30 p.m. to shoot photos…

Happy New Year! Now that 2021 is in the rearview mirror, I have a simple wish for 2022: a cure for Huntington’s disease, which my wife and daughter are gene-positive for. As much as I hope for that, I also spend a lot of time thinking about taking…

Since my wife, Jill, was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (HD) in 2018, she’s been concerned about something that plagued her father for a long time before he died from the same condition: weight loss. Jill’s father was in good health when he was diagnosed with HD, but during his…

Last week, my wife, Jill, who is gene-positive for Huntington’s disease, appeared on a Help 4 HD Live! podcast, which is an online radio program for the Huntington’s community. The program is hosted by Lauren Holder, who also is gene-positive for Huntington’s. Lauren reached out to Jill…

Years ago, as watching videos on the internet became more popular, I realized I needed to broaden my skills as a print journalist to compete and thrive in a rapidly developing multimedia world. So, I took a course at the Poynter Institute that taught me how to tell a…

By the time you read this, an important day in my family’s life will have occurred: Alexus, our only daughter, got married on Nov. 25. She and her now husband, René, met in their senior year of college and have built a beautiful life together since then. They decided to…

Since my wife, Jill, tested positive for Huntington’s disease (HD) in 2018, I’ve learned a lot about the disease and its symptoms. Prior to her diagnosis, Jill’s HD journey started with depression, similar to many others who suffer from Huntington’s. I’ve written about this topic before, with Jill’s…

We live in a house with hardwood floors and three flights of wooden stairs. For my wife, Jill, who is gene-positive for Huntington’s, and our dog, this setup is a danger zone. Let me explain. The floors are beautiful, but they are slippery. We are reminded of how…

Moving is considered one of the most stressful events in people’s lives. After moving from the Midwest to the East Coast in the U.S. earlier this year, my wife, Jill, and I certainly agree with that statement. But she’d add something else to that list of stressful events: finding…