I ❤ Someone with HD

I just read something that got my blood boiling big time. I wanted to throw something at my computer screen or hunt down this person that wrote it and wring their neck! But that person was too ashamed to even say their name - the person chose to post as confidential. I wonder why.

So, here is how the story goes...

I was searching for a t-shirt that I had seen a couple of weeks ago. It said "I ❤ Someone with HD". So that is what I googled. The very first search result was titled "Don't Marry Someone with HD". It turns out that this was a chat forum that somebody had started. I was curious as to what this person had to say so I clicked and looked at the forum.  This lady - because she refers to herself as a mother of some children - went on and on about how HD ruined her life and the life of her kids. She even went on to say that people with HD shouldn't get married or have children because it will ruin their lives. Apparently she was very bitter that her husband was diagnosed HD and had never told her that he might have it.

Every person has their own thoughts and opinions on the issue. I can respect the difference of opinion and won't be telling you if you are right or wrong. It is not my place.
 
Instead, I will share the reasons why I married my husband even though I knew he was HD positive and even though I knew that I had not chosen an easy path. I did it because of the simple fact that I love him with all of my heart and cannot imagine my life without him in it. I wouldn't have traded the last 10 years of our life for anything and look forward to many more amazing years with him. We have had a great time and made some wonderful memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. If I had walked away from the man that God had chosen for me simply because it was going to be a struggle at some point down the road, I would have missed out on so much. I have always said I would rather have 10 minutes of happiness with the man I love versus a lifetime of never having had the chance. I still feel that way today.

Robert's grandmother always said that if she had known that her husband had HD, she never would have had children. She never would have taken that chance of her children inheriting the disease. I do understand that. But the one thing that I go back to is this. She had 3 children. Only 1 of them inherited the disease. The other two do not have it. You have no way of ever knowing if your children will get the disease or if they will be spared. Then, Robert's mother had 5 children. Only three of the five have the disease. And I know there are a lot of people out there that can honestly say the world is a better place having had Robert in it. I know I certainly think so.

The lady in this forum said she was going to become an advocate to support the idea that people with HD should never get married and never have children. Why not? Do they not deserve the chance at the same kind of happiness as everyone else in the world? Do they not deserve to lead normal, quality lives as long as they can until the disease takes over?

I do get that the disease can wreak havoc on more than just the person who is infected. As someone told me, it is more than just the person caring the disease that lives with it. The friends and family of the one infected live with it, too. It certainly isn't an easy road to walk. But, they are people just like everybody else and they deserve happiness just like everybody else. Leading a normal life and creating great memories will help to get a lot of people through the more difficult years to come.

Thankfully, most people in the forum responded by calling her out on her negativity and told her that she was wrong in her thoughts. I would have shared a few words with her, too but it seems the forum was closed for additional posts so I missed out. But, for anybody else out there, I just want to go on record that choosing not to marry someone because of something that will happen down the road at an unforeseen date. Would you rather have 10 years of wonderful memories with a person before they got sick or be alone and miss out on those memories because you knew they were going to be sick? I know my answer. Do you?