Columns

My wife, Jill, who has Huntington’s disease, is doing remarkably well. Most people in her shoes would be falling apart, but she is levelheaded about having it, and many are amazed when I tell them that she accepts her diagnosis. Think about that for a moment: She tolerates a…

It’s time for us to enter our Huntington’s disease (HD) time machine and travel back to the year 1872. It is here that we find Dr. George Huntington sitting in his clinic’s office handling a package. He runs his thumbs along the seam to ensure its closure, turns it…

“The Talk” has a very different meaning to most people than it does in our home. When our daughter was born, my wife, Jill, had a very clear wish that we would always be open and honest with our daughter about things. By “things,” Jill meant most everything. She wanted…

I’m sure the headline of this column made you look twice. No, that’s not a typo. You might be saying right now: “How could anything associated with Huntington’s disease make my life better?” I get it. I understand firsthand what a horrible condition Huntington’s disease (HD) is. It’s not…

Second in a series. Read part one. Based on the number of television commercials touting DNA testing, finding out information about one’s genes has become de rigueur these days. As I mentioned in my last column, however, when there’s the possibility of having inherited genes that might cause…

Sometimes it can seem like everyone wants to give you advice about how you should live your life or what you should do to feel and remain healthy. Now that I write this, you could say this column is doing the same thing! Here’s a quote that amused me: “I’ll…

First in a series. I wanted to write a positive column this week about the strength and courage my wife has displayed over the last few months. She has, and I will — but not this week. In fact, welcome to the first of two parts about a topic that…

My grandmother died from Huntington’s disease (HD) complications in 1987. I was 13 years old at the time, so my memories of her are few and limited to a time in her journey when she was more advanced in her symptoms. I have no personal recollections of what she…

Family traditions often include fond memories. For instance, President John F. Kennedy’s family tradition involved sailing a 25-foot sailboat called the Victura. The open sea, the wind at your back, the blue skies, the sun sparkling off the water — who wouldn’t look back at those memories and not smile…

(Photo from James Pollard, Personal Collection) The above New York Times clipping, dated March 24, 1993, reports breaking news that was immensely important for the Huntington’s disease community. Even today, 26 years later, the significance of a piece of HD news has never surpassed this. Not yet anyway. The…