A Family Tradition - a Column by Carlos Briceño

Bear with me as I make an analogy. It’ll make sense in a moment. My wife, Jill, now sees genetic testing as the equivalent of a GPS. When you need to find out what illnesses run in your family, all you have to do is turn it on. Once…

We can all agree that healthcare is not perfect. Even with insurance coverage, a trip to the doctor can be expensive. Travel to and from appointments can be time-consuming and costly, especially for someone with a disability. My wife, Jill, was diagnosed with the Huntington’s gene, just like her father,…

Zombies, spiders, losing your job. What is your greatest fear? Mine used to be drowning, but not anymore. My biggest fear now is losing the woman I love and adore to Huntington’s disease (HD). Over the last year, our family has had its ups and downs. The gene-positive diagnosis of…

Have you ever been on a plane with a couple and their small child? You hope the child falls asleep or, at the very least, behaves. At some point during the flight, it’s not uncommon for children to whine and fidget, cry and hit the seat, or insist on getting…

Earlier this year, I heard of an opportunity to write a column for Bionews Services. As many of you know, my wife, Jill, was diagnosed with the Huntington’s gene. Before I applied, I wanted to discuss it with Jill. I have shared in the past that my…

When Jill and I lived in Florida, we loved being outside, going to local parks, walking on the beach, and hanging out with friends and family. Life was good. Then we moved to the Midwest, and we went to a city where we had no family and knew no…

I am standing at the end of the beauty aisle at our local grocery store. I’m watching my wife, Jill, look at boxes of press-on nails — again. I think back to when she was my girlfriend, back to when she was someone who said she didn’t have any hobbies,…

Aretha Franklin sang about it. Rodney Dangerfield joked about it by saying he never got any. The Boston Red Sox got it after finally winning the World Series again in 2004. The “it” I’m referring to, of course, is respect. A recent trip to the airport by…

Do you recall the Apollo 11 mission that took place July 16-24, 1969? My wife, Jill, likes to remind me that she remembers reading about it in a history book. This summer, we will mark the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the moon. That may not…

My daughter recently graduated from college. As the date approached, my wife, Jill, and I grew increasingly excited. Jill became more focused on all the things that we needed to do. Jill is a planner, so she starts out by making lists. These lists are then accompanied by yellow…