Tanita Allen, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in 2012. She shares her journey toward realizing self-acceptance and the power of support.
Transcript
My advice that I would tell someone who’s in this process is that — give yourself time to grieve because it’s a process. When I was diagnosed, I mean, I was grieving the loss of who I thought I was or who I thought I should be. And that took years. For me, it took years — years to process and in the right way.
So I would say give yourself grace and time. And there is no one-size-fits-all for all of us. We are all unique. Every person with HD is going to have a different experience. And I would say give yourself grace and give yourself time to go through a process.
And also, find the right people to surround yourself with. It’s very important that you have the right friends, the right support system in place to help you through this journey.
Because having the wrong people or the wrong type of energy around you can really wear you down and make it very hard for you to function, because it takes a lot of energy to function with a neurological problem.
I would just strongly advise you to surround yourself with people that align with your goals and values, are supportive, and are really in your corner.
