A Family Tradition - a Column by Carlos Briceño

My wife, Jill, recently had an “aha!” moment about some of the neurological symptoms her late father experienced during his battle with Huntington’s disease.  While folding some laundry, she picked up a large sheet that had been sitting in a chilly part of our home. The…

My wife, Jill, is generally an optimist. But lately, I’ve seen frustration cloud her eyes. It’s not just the daily battles we fight together against Huntington’s disease (HD). Those are struggles we’ve learned to face, one day at a time. This frustration is tied to something bigger: the Huntington’s…

For as long as I’ve known my wife, Jill, who’s gene-positive for Huntington’s disease, she’s had an uncanny ability to fix any problem thrown her way. It’s like watching a supercomputer in action, processing complex equations in milliseconds. I’ve come to realize that the way Huntington’s diminishes her…

The other day, I overheard something beautiful that made me pause and reflect. My wife, Jill, who is gene-positive for Huntington’s disease, was on the phone, comforting a friend struggling with caregiving responsibilities. “You’re doing an amazing job,” Jill told our friend. “Remember, even on the toughest days, your…

My wife, Jill, recently challenged a sentiment she hears far too often: that people with Huntington’s disease should feel “grateful” it’s a slow-moving condition, unlike amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Her reaction struck a deep chord in me and revealed an important truth about how we view devastating rare and…

As my wife, Jill, and I sat at a sidewalk cafe, we basked in the warmth of the sun — a welcome feeling after what had felt like a lifetime of gloomy winter weather. Jill’s diagnosis of Huntington’s disease is an unwelcome companion in our lives, but it’s also…

As I entered our living room recently, I was met with a scene that caught me off guard. My wife, Jill, was sitting on the couch, tears streaming down her face while watching “The Masked Singer.” This wasn’t unusual in itself; she loves the show for its music…

Last in a series. Read part one. In my last column, I wrote about mental health issues and shared some advice from Alexis Ryan, a psychiatric nurse practitioner that my wife, Jill, sees to help her cope with Huntington’s disease. In part two of the series, I inquired…

First in a series. Talking about mental health was taboo when I was younger. Thankfully, that has changed for me — especially at home. My wife, Jill, who is gene-positive for Huntington’s disease, knows that two of its symptoms, anxiety and depression, may require medication and talking to…

If I ever need a short, concise way to describe something, I consult my wife, Jill. So when a friend asked Jill to describe some of the challenges she’s faced with Huntington’s disease, she began with one of its most devastating symptoms: the gradual loss of cognitive function. Jill shared…