Words can't explain how it feels to know that your child is suffering from a
disease that little is known about.
On October 17, 1998, my life changed forever. Since my son Brian was 5 years old I knew that there were problems with his learning. I had him tested and they put him into learning disabilities classes where he was diagnosed as borderline mentally retarded. He remained in those type of classes until he graduated in 1987. It was a long hard struggle but he graduated with his class. Since his graduation Brian has steadily went down hill. He was trying to work but could not seem to do so. I finally got him approved for SS and he was able to maintain a life living on his own with a little help.
Brian's father and I had been divorced since Brian was a baby and he had no contact with him over the years. Brian's stepmother called me one day to tell me that his father had been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease and that it was hereditary. I was not familiar with the disease so I just put it in the back of my mind. As the years passed I heard that his father was getting in bad shape and I began to ask questions about what was going on.
Brian's father died in 1993 at the age of 46 from the HD. This upset me a lot but once again I put it in the back of my mind and refused to face the possibility of Brian ever getting it. Four years passed and I could see that Brian was having more problems but I just justified it with the fact he was slow and maybe he was drinking too much caffeine.
I will never forget the day I woke up from my sleep. It was June 3, 1998. My niece had a baby and we had gone to the hospital to see the baby and had stopped to get something to eat. We were in line to pay for our food and Brian was in front of me and for the first time I could see that something was very badly wrong with him. He could not stand still he was shaky, it was like he was in a daze. The very next day I made an appointment to take him to a neurologist to see if he possible could be getting the disease.
We decided to have him tested because it was hard to tell if that was actually what was going on because of his other problems. We had to wait three
On October 17, 1998, my life changed forever. Since my son Brian was 5 years old I knew that there were problems with his learning. I had him tested and they put him into learning disabilities classes where he was diagnosed as borderline mentally retarded. He remained in those type of classes until he graduated in 1987. It was a long hard struggle but he graduated with his class. Since his graduation Brian has steadily went down hill. He was trying to work but could not seem to do so. I finally got him approved for SS and he was able to maintain a life living on his own with a little help.
Brian's father and I had been divorced since Brian was a baby and he had no contact with him over the years. Brian's stepmother called me one day to tell me that his father had been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease and that it was hereditary. I was not familiar with the disease so I just put it in the back of my mind. As the years passed I heard that his father was getting in bad shape and I began to ask questions about what was going on.
Brian's father died in 1993 at the age of 46 from the HD. This upset me a lot but once again I put it in the back of my mind and refused to face the possibility of Brian ever getting it. Four years passed and I could see that Brian was having more problems but I just justified it with the fact he was slow and maybe he was drinking too much caffeine.
I will never forget the day I woke up from my sleep. It was June 3, 1998. My niece had a baby and we had gone to the hospital to see the baby and had stopped to get something to eat. We were in line to pay for our food and Brian was in front of me and for the first time I could see that something was very badly wrong with him. He could not stand still he was shaky, it was like he was in a daze. The very next day I made an appointment to take him to a neurologist to see if he possible could be getting the disease.
We decided to have him tested because it was hard to tell if that was actually what was going on because of his other problems. We had to wait three
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