A Family Tradition
— Carlos Briceño

My mom is dying. She’s 90, has dementia, can’t walk, yells angrily at times, and lives in an assisted living home, where visitors are frowned upon because of the COVID-19 threat. Several days ago, an ambulance picked her up because she had vomited and was unresponsive. Several hours after visiting…

Last year, I wrote about the possibility of telemedicine visits for Huntington’s patients with the Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s Center of Excellence in Chicago. My wife, Jill, and I were excited about this possibility because she has “white coat syndrome.” As someone who has witnessed Jill’s anxiety,…

If you could go anywhere on vacation, would you take your time planning the perfect trip? Would you look at all of the travel websites in hopes of finding the most interesting places to go? Would you spend large amounts of money to see all of the typical tourist attractions?…

Ever since my wife, Jill, and our daughter were tested and diagnosed as gene positive for Huntington’s disease, I have been impressed with their positive attitudes and outlook for their future. Today I realized their attitudes are the long-standing views of their family. I realized this after Jill spoke…

What makes a great marriage? That age-old question has been the subject of many books over the years, hundreds of talk shows, and millions of arguments. Money, especially fighting about how much to spend, is always a big topic. Many think that if you are an active listener,…

Did you ever watch cartoons when you were young? One of my favorites as a child was “Scooby-Doo,” an animated cartoon series that featured teenagers Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy. They also had a talking brown Great Dane named Scooby-Doo. This motley crew of mystery-solvers would travel from town…

If you think adulting is hard, wait until you are empty nesting. My wife, Jill, and I have a daughter who lives in the Northeast. Five years ago, she graduated from high school and went to experience college life at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We are proud of…

The last few weeks have been somewhat trying for Jill. She has been plagued with giant hive welts. They cover her arms, legs, and torso. Sometimes her lips or eyes will randomly swell. She jokes, “People pay a whole lot of money to have puffy lips.” She hasn’t been able…

One of my recent columns was about the Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s annual convention. I participated in a few groups over Zoom because I have to be involved in every step of the journey. We have known about this conference for years because Jill’s mother tries to attend…

We live in Illinois, where the weather can be unpredictable. Some days we have perfect weather — 70 degrees and sunny — followed immediately by snow. We may not see the sun for days. When we moved here, we quickly discovered that you have to enjoy the beautiful days…

I am messy. I’ve always been messy. My desk at work looks like an explosion of papers. I love to read, so it’s not uncommon for my bedroom floor to have books scattered like leaves on the ground on a fall day. I also tend to buy the same product…

The Huntington’s Disease Society of America held its annual conference in early June. Like many events these days, it was virtual, which made it super convenient to attend. I watched several sessions, including “Preparing for the Change That Will Come” and “Support Group for Caregivers.” I like to have a…