I wanted to set up a fundraiser in memory of my family members who are either sick or have already passed from Huntington's Disease as well as myself. I am 30 years old and have a CAG of 43. I was diagnosed with Early Onset Huntington's Disease at age 21. I'm in the late first stages of my disease and have watched the devastation that Huntington's Disease causes.

Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a rare, inherited neurological disorder that leads to the progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the brain. HD leads to worsening functional abilities, difficulty swallowing or speaking, confinement to bed, falls, and an increased chance of dying due to secondary infections.

Day to day life for myself as a Huntington's Disease patient is difficult, I watched my family suffer from the disease. The scariest part of the disease is feeling yourself lose your mind slowly but not being able to help or control it. I choke a lot, and have to drink a lot of water to be able to eat as well as cut my food up. I have a lot of issues remembering simple things that before were easy to remember. I have difficulties concentrating and learning new things as well. There's a lot of days I deal with bouts of anger, depression, and emotional outbursts. I have difficulties eating and walking, and tend to fall a lot. I watched my mother slowly lose her ability to reason and function over a span of 10 or so years and am starting to feel the effects of the same disease.

Unfortunately there's an even more devastating form of the disease my family and I have called Juvenile Huntington's Disease which affects young children. It can cause death in children, sometimes even by the age of 12-15. Children with JHD sometimes even have seizures, which are more rare with the disease in adult patients.

My one wish in life is that no one would have to go through what my family and thousands of others have had to go through. Right now there is no cure for HD or JHD but with your help and donations more research can be done. The HDYO specifically does outreach to JHD patients and their families as well as young people with HD who are not children. If you'd like to help us fight this disease, please consider donating. All proceeds go directly to the charity.