Fax Celestis
2012-04-02, 05:13 PM
Approximately 200,000 Americans are currently at risk of inheriting Huntington's Disease from an affected parent. Last May I found out that my husband, James, and through him my daughter, Athena, are also at risk.
James was adopted at birth by a wonderful family. They've done all that is possible to raise him in a loving household. He is truly blessed to have been raised by such a caring family. To open one's heart to a child is the greatest gift you could ever give, and James and I love them dearly.
After the birth of our child, Athena, he became curious about his birth family. We both wanted to know more about the medical history of the woman (and man) who gave birth to him. We searched the internet and found his birth mother on Facebook. It could not have been easy, but after our initial message to her, his birth mother told us the entire story of how James came to be. She also informed us that his birth father passed away of AIDS complications. Before his birth father died, however, James' birth grandfather had started to show signs of Huntington's Disease. After many months of pleading and begging from the family, James' birth father got tested to see if he carried the gene that causes HD. He did.
This revelation has hit my family like a ton of bricks. My husband now has a 50% chance of having this horrific disease. And if he has it, then Athena and any other children we may have in the future may have it. We are still debating what the best course is for us. Getting tested would mean risking the devastating impact of a positive result, but knowing whether or not he is at risk will help us plan for the future. My biggest hope is that a cure will be discovered for this disease long before it can ever hurt my family.
I walk this walk for my husband.
I walk this walk for my daughter.
I walk this walk for my in-laws.
I walk this walk for the birth family that my husband never knew.
I walk this walk for EVERYONE that ever has and ever will be hurt by this horrible disease.
I walk this walk because I have hope.
Any and all donations (http://tinyurl.com/RaivenWalks) towards this cause are appreciated. I understand that these are rather rough economic times and that not everyone can afford to give, but this is a topic that is very important to me (obviously). If you can't donate, please consider running the Folding @ Home (http://fah-web.stanford.edu/) application (GitP group ID 82447), as its results will directly chart the path of Alzheimer's and Huntington's research.
James was adopted at birth by a wonderful family. They've done all that is possible to raise him in a loving household. He is truly blessed to have been raised by such a caring family. To open one's heart to a child is the greatest gift you could ever give, and James and I love them dearly.
After the birth of our child, Athena, he became curious about his birth family. We both wanted to know more about the medical history of the woman (and man) who gave birth to him. We searched the internet and found his birth mother on Facebook. It could not have been easy, but after our initial message to her, his birth mother told us the entire story of how James came to be. She also informed us that his birth father passed away of AIDS complications. Before his birth father died, however, James' birth grandfather had started to show signs of Huntington's Disease. After many months of pleading and begging from the family, James' birth father got tested to see if he carried the gene that causes HD. He did.
This revelation has hit my family like a ton of bricks. My husband now has a 50% chance of having this horrific disease. And if he has it, then Athena and any other children we may have in the future may have it. We are still debating what the best course is for us. Getting tested would mean risking the devastating impact of a positive result, but knowing whether or not he is at risk will help us plan for the future. My biggest hope is that a cure will be discovered for this disease long before it can ever hurt my family.
I walk this walk for my husband.
I walk this walk for my daughter.
I walk this walk for my in-laws.
I walk this walk for the birth family that my husband never knew.
I walk this walk for EVERYONE that ever has and ever will be hurt by this horrible disease.
I walk this walk because I have hope.
Any and all donations (http://tinyurl.com/RaivenWalks) towards this cause are appreciated. I understand that these are rather rough economic times and that not everyone can afford to give, but this is a topic that is very important to me (obviously). If you can't donate, please consider running the Folding @ Home (http://fah-web.stanford.edu/) application (GitP group ID 82447), as its results will directly chart the path of Alzheimer's and Huntington's research.