What is Huntington's Disease?

Now that you know Curtis is dealing with a likely diagnosis of Huntington's disease I wanted to take some time to give you a basic overview of this disease. "Huntington's disease is an inherited disease that causes the progressive breakdown (degeneration) of the nerve cells in the brain. Huntington's disease has a broad impact on the person's functional abilities and usually results in movement, thinking (cognitive), and psychiatric disorders." (Mayo Clinic) It used to be called Huntington's Chorea because the jerking movements that most patients have resembles dancing and chorea comes from the Greek word for dancing. I think this is so interesting because dancing is such a beautiful and artistic thing but most people with this disease are embarrassed and so tired from the movements.
This is a very rare disease which is why so many people have never heard of it. Approximately 1 in every 10,000 Americans have this disease. Everyone that has this disease has a 50 % chance of passing it to their children. There is currently no cure for this disease. Doctors try to treat the symptoms to attempt to slow the symptoms and help the patient function as long as possible. Thankfully some great research and clinical trials are happening now that are giving Huntington's patients new hope!
Some symptoms include facial movements, uncontrolled movements of other body parts, and unsteady gait. Loss of Memory, personality changes, and speech impairment. These are just a few of the many symptoms that people with this disease have to deal with everyday.
This disease affects everyone differently. Some symptoms are worse for some patients than others. The symptoms will gradually get worse until the patient will need constant help from others. Usually the time from disease onset to death is between 10 and 30 years.
So this is just the basics on the disease so you have an idea of what we are preparing for. It can all be very overwhelming but we are so thankful that God knows every detail of our future and that He will take care of us through it all. I cannot say that I haven't had days of anxiety and deep sadness but overall we have had so much peace even joy through this whole process. It has been a good reminder to keep living every day to its fullest.
If you want to learn more about this disease a great website is hdsa.org or you can even follow them on facebook, just search for Huntington's disease society of America.