Columns

I was an emotional mess when I first met Jeff Carroll at a Huntington’s disease conference. My recent gene-positive diagnosis was on my mind. I couldn’t talk about it without crying, and I believed that I would never be happy again. My husband and I were…

My wife is extremely low maintenance. For instance, she’s allergic to chocolate and flowers, so she doesn’t want either for Valentine’s Day. Even if she weren’t allergic, she still wouldn’t want them because she believes Valentine’s Day is a manufactured holiday. So we essentially don’t acknowledge it. (However,…

For this column, I interviewed my best friend about her thoughts on Huntington’s. Here are my questions and her answers: During your freshman year, you had a lecture on Huntington’s. Do you remember your thoughts about it at that time? I was taking an introductory biology class, and we were…

My wife, Jill, excels at many things. She’s an excellent cook, gift giver, and advice dispenser. She also excels in her dislike of visiting a doctor’s office. As I’ve written before, she has “white coat syndrome.” But we have received some potentially awesome news that might ease some of…

Over this past holiday, my wonderful parents got me the Nintendo Switch and the new Pokemon game (specifically Shield, because it had cooler Pokemon). Yes, I am aware this makes me geeky, but the game is amazing. As soon as I started playing, I couldn’t…

Thanksgiving always seems to occur out of the blue, and this year was no different. One minute it’s summer and the weather is warm. You blink, and the leaves are changing. Blink again, and daylight savings time ends. And then you wake up, and it’s Thanksgiving. My family differs from…

This week’s column was going to be about patience, but before I could write it I received a text from my wife, Jill. She asked if I had used our credit card at a place where I don’t normally shop. The answer was a resounding no. My wife handles…

At around 1 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2019, my aunt was pronounced dead. She had been waiting with her son in their car outside their house for a storm to abate when a tree fell on the car. Fortunately, my cousin was unharmed.  My aunt had…

For a time following my diagnosis as gene-positive for Huntington’s disease (HD), I avoided elderly people. The mere glimpse of a wrinkled hand was a reminder that I was going to develop Huntington’s someday, and that was something I was trying to forget. Recently, my husband and I attended our…

So which is worse: a long, drawn-out illness or a sudden, unexpected death? As the caregiver of a loved one with Huntington’s disease, I’m dealing with someone who is going to be suffering for a number of years. What my wife, Jill, will endure will not be a walk…