Columns

Because Feb. 29 is Rare Disease Day, I thought it would be a good idea to talk to my wife about what makes her so rare. Jill was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in 2018. In the U.S., the number of people who have the disease is about…

I walked through the door of my condo at 9 p.m., kicked off my running shoes, and dropped my gym bag on the floor. Crap, he’s not back yet, I thought to myself. I had just returned from my fifth run of the week. I was beating down my body…

A few months ago, my boyfriend’s Philosophy of Technology class planned a debate about the ethics of gene editing. I told him that I was a perfect case study to bring up since gene editing opens avenues for a potential Huntington’s disease cure.

Valentine’s Day, a holiday my wife doesn’t believe in, has come and gone. Jill sees the day as a manufactured holiday. She believes that every day should be like Valentine’s Day — in other words, you should show love every day to the ones you love. We don’t make grand…

As most of you know, my wife and daughter tested positive for Huntington’s disease. They have witnessed the brutality that Huntington’s can inflict, and they have every right to curl up in bed every day and cry. But they don’t. They get up and continue forward with what I…

This week, I read two articles that were sent to me describing scientific breakthroughs regarding possible treatments for Huntington’s. The first described a case study recently published in the journal Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. It…

I’m not a nurse or a social worker. In other words, I haven’t received formal training in caregiving from a college or a university. But I do feel that I’m prepared to do well as a caregiver because of the training I received as a child. I grew up in…

Growing up, my grandparents and I drove every summer from Florida to Pennsylvania to visit our extended family. I spent time with their siblings, nieces, and nephews who still lived in the state. I adored my family, and in turn, they adored me. At the time, family was…

I saw a pig fly the other day. OK, that’s a lie. But it sure felt like one did because my wife, Jill, cried. It’s rare for her to cry. Crying makes her feel worse than whatever made her cry in the first place, so she tries to avoid it.

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I finally exchanged our Christmas presents. This exchange consisted of us renting a car and driving over nine hours through a winter storm to get to an Airbnb outside of Toronto.