You Talk About It Too Much

Somebody told me the other day that I post too much about Huntington's Disease on Facebook. i talk to much about it. It isn't that big of deal. Really?

So, I asked her if she thought that they talked to much about Alzheimer's since I hear something about it at least once a week. She said no, because that is a serious disease that they need to find a cure for. It destroys so many families. I told her that was true and asked if she felt Parkinson's and ALS were talked about too much. Her response was the same. They are both horrible diseases that affect so many people. Again, I agreed with her. Then, I posed this question: What if somebody had all three of those disease at the same time? Would that make it a serious issue? That stumped her for a moment before she answered that there had never been such a case.

My response?

Now, if you want to get technical, that is probably true. I haven't researched that, but I have never heard of a person that was diagnosed with all three of those diseases at the same time. But, I have heard of thousands upon thousands of people who have been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease - which has been characterized as having all three diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS) simultaneously.

I will not apologize for talking about it too much. 

It is not talked about enough. I know the statistics that say that approximately 20,000 people in the United States that have been diagnosed with this disease. I know that there are approximately 100,000 people in the world that are classified as living at risk - meaning they may have the gene in them but have not been tested to know on way or another. I know that the number of people living with Alzheimer's, ALS and Parkinson's are much higher. However, for the family and friends of those 20,000 people living with the disease and the thousands that are living at risk, it is a big deal.

I will continue to talk and post and share about Huntington's Disease. I am not going to stop because someone thinks I talk about it to much, It matters to me and those I love dearly. Education and awareness is the first step in finding a cure. The more people are educated, the more people that can work to find a cure for this disease.