Columns

Last year, a chat about a Halloween decoration led to a conversation about Huntington’s disease (HD). It all began when my wife, Jill, picked up an item at the home of our daughter, Alexus, when we visited her in Boston. It was a long, hollow tube —…

Five years ago, I grew increasingly concerned about my brother, Gavin. He was aggressive, angry, anxious, self-neglecting, and unemployed, and he appeared to be coping poorly with his Huntington’s disease. I reached out to our local Huntington’s care adviser, who explained that most of my brother’s emotional and behavioral…

My wife, Jill, recently discovered that what she’d thought was a symptom of her Huntington’s disease (HD) was really something else. It reminded us that just because she has a rare, terminal illness doesn’t mean it’s the cause of every medical issue. I began to realize this…

Talk therapy is great, but finding someone who understands you and meets your needs is the key to its success. When my wife, Jill, was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (HD) in 2018, the doctor recommended that she see a therapist. While Jill had nothing against seeing someone for…

I remember my family speaking openly about Huntington’s disease (HD) throughout my childhood. Our paternal great-grandmother had passed away before my brother and I were born, and our paternal grandfather passed when we were very young. Both had HD. Growing up, my brother and I heard stories about our…

Today, Oct. 11, is my 37th birthday. Where does the time go? In my last column, I wrote about my lengthy journey since my mom was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (HD) in 1995. As I sit back and reflect, I realize how much my own genetic test…

My wife, Jill, and I were recently talking about an encounter I had. As sometimes happens, a result of the conversation with Jill was a lesson that developed over the next few days about Jill’s terminal illness. The conversation centered on feeling belittled in my work as a…

I love stories. It’s why I have a passion for reading. I enjoy being transported to another world by the creative ways writers string words together. One of the many reasons I love my wife, Jill, is because she’s an incredible storyteller. She could make walking up the stairs…

I joined the war against Huntington’s disease (HD) back in 1995, after my mom, Debbie, underwent genetic testing that confirmed she was gene-positive for HD. Her father also carried the genetic mutation, but he passed away in 1990, when I was only 3 years old. I was just…

I’ve learned a lot from my wife, Jill, who is gene-positive for Huntington’s disease (HD), about the importance of the phrase “I promise.” In the past, I often made promises without considering what they meant to others. As a child, I’d say, “I promise I’ll clean my room,”…