Huntington's Disease devastates family
This is like me and Trevor. We are married. We are screwed out of everything.
Huntington's Disease devastates family
Stephanie Harris VIRGINIA BEACH,Va -
As Laurie Clay struggles to stand, it's obvious the toll Huntington's Disease has taken on the 37-year-old's body. What may be worse, however, is the toll it's taken on her heart and that of her fiance of 12 years, Michael.
"Becaue of her disability benefits if we get married they'd combine our income and discontinue her benefits," Michael told WAVY.com. "So we've been together all this time and haven't been able to marry," Laurie added.
It's difficult to explain to their 11-yea
r-old son, who shares his father's name but hopefully not his mother's genes. Huntington's is hereditary. Laurie got it from her father, but her mother Marie also suffered dearly.
Before her husband, Phillip Clay, was diagnosed with Huntington's they divorced over his growing odd and obnoxious behavior. "My husband's illness is related to other things, and there's people out there who their loved ones are maybe acting strange or bipolar and it may be they have Huntington's," said Marie.
Marie later took care of Phillip until he died in 2006 and is now caring for her daughter. The disease has broken Marie's heart as well as her daughter's, but they don't want your pity. Instead, they want your support.
"It takes Huntington's a year to raise what cancer does in one day," Marie said. 30,000 Americans have Huntington's disease and they're all losing time and memories. "I thought I was going to be working as a chemical engineer somewhere in a company," Laurie told us.
Still she dares to dream for a cure and prays her son will be spared.
For more on Huntington's Disease and symptoms and a support group Marie Clay has started in Virginia Beach, click on the links below:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/huntington/huntington.htm
http://www.helpguide.org/elder/huntingtons_disease.htm
This is like me and Trevor. We are married. We are screwed out of everything.
Huntington's Disease devastates family
Stephanie Harris VIRGINIA BEACH,Va -
As Laurie Clay struggles to stand, it's obvious the toll Huntington's Disease has taken on the 37-year-old's body. What may be worse, however, is the toll it's taken on her heart and that of her fiance of 12 years, Michael.
"Becaue of her disability benefits if we get married they'd combine our income and discontinue her benefits," Michael told WAVY.com. "So we've been together all this time and haven't been able to marry," Laurie added.
It's difficult to explain to their 11-yea
r-old son, who shares his father's name but hopefully not his mother's genes. Huntington's is hereditary. Laurie got it from her father, but her mother Marie also suffered dearly.
Before her husband, Phillip Clay, was diagnosed with Huntington's they divorced over his growing odd and obnoxious behavior. "My husband's illness is related to other things, and there's people out there who their loved ones are maybe acting strange or bipolar and it may be they have Huntington's," said Marie.
Marie later took care of Phillip until he died in 2006 and is now caring for her daughter. The disease has broken Marie's heart as well as her daughter's, but they don't want your pity. Instead, they want your support.
"It takes Huntington's a year to raise what cancer does in one day," Marie said. 30,000 Americans have Huntington's disease and they're all losing time and memories. "I thought I was going to be working as a chemical engineer somewhere in a company," Laurie told us.
Still she dares to dream for a cure and prays her son will be spared.
For more on Huntington's Disease and symptoms and a support group Marie Clay has started in Virginia Beach, click on the links below:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/huntington/huntington.htm
http://www.helpguide.org/elder/huntingtons_disease.htm
0 comments:
Post a Comment