Columns

My wife, Jill, and I often talk about Huntington’s disease (HD), the neurodegenerative condition she inherited from her father. Writing this weekly column causes us to look at our experiences in a different light and put our decisions under a magnifying glass. But after 15 years of…

The notion of tradition is on my mind because we recently celebrated Christmas. Tradition comes from a Latin word meaning “to hand over” or “to hand down.” Sometimes family traditions are fun and wonderful, such as weekly game nights or favorite dinners like Taco Tuesdays. But others are ones…

“See you in heaven one day” is a line from one of my dad’s all-time favorite songs, which I have recently been revisiting.  By 2020, my dad had been in nursing homes for almost six years, suffering from late-stage Huntington’s disease. He’d been having…

As I descended a country lane through the valley this morning on my way to work, storm clouds that had gathered began to clear, revealing a blue sky. Daffodil sprouts appeared in the hedgerows. The sun shone across the fields, highlighting the remaining autumnal colors, and then streamed through the…

During a recent walk in our neighborhood, my wife, Jill, and I admired the colors of the leaves on the trees while enjoying the mild winter weather we’ve been experiencing. We talked about our love-hate relationship with trees, leaves, and yardwork, and how Huntington’s disease progression affects…

My brother, Gavin, was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in January 2022, at the age of 42. The disease took our dad’s life in May 2020, when he was 68. So far, it has affected four generations of our family. As we enter a new year, I’m reflecting…

My dad spent the last four years of his life in the Warberries Nursing Home in Torquay, Devon, England, suffering from Huntington’s disease. He’d been moved there when his ability to swallow and his speech had deteriorated. The building was a Victorian Grade…

My wife, Jill, who is gene-positive for Huntington’s disease, and I were recently standing in line at a grocery store when she had an exchange with strangers that reminded us of how powerful words are. It instantly reminded Jill of a hurtful question she overheard…

My brother, Gavin, was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in January 2022, at 42 years old. The disease has already taken the lives of our dad, grandfather, and grandmother. In recent months, Gavin’s cognitive impairment has seemed to worsen just as his anger and aggression have…

I was recently sitting in the living room, writing this week’s column, when my nephew Dylan sat down with his breakfast. He’s been staying with my wife, Jill, and me for several months, and I’ve noticed he eats a lot of avocado toast. When I asked him what…