Huntington's Disease

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    I recently watched a Tedx talk, “Facing Death Full of Life” by Danielle Valenti. She did an amazing job of describing how precious life is and how we should not be afraid to live it. Valenti began talking about her life of caring for her mother and how hard it was to see her pass with Huntington’s disease. I chose this topic because I felt like I could relate to her being a daughter and being so close to my mother. I learned that this disease is rare because it only effects 30,000 people in the U.S.. Valenti also described Huntington’s disease as the worst disease known to man. Going through this disease in class, I knew it was inheritable and terrible to go through, but many describe it as a combination of Parkinson’s, ALS, and Alzheimer’s disease.

 

    Valenti also explained towards the end that she had the gene, and she has always seen this disease as the “Devil’s disease” as it took her mother away from her slowly.  This disease takes control of your movements, body, and eventually your mind.  I cannot begin to fathom knowing that she will eventually show symptoms and live through these tragic events again. But, she has taken the life she has been given and is learning how to live a life of happiness. I loved that she spoke about when you allow time to struggle and heal, you can evaluate and redesign your life around what is important to you.  I think this was a great watch and that others could benefit from this video. We all have something we are going through, and she is living proof that we can take the worst news head on and still live a life full of happiness. 

 

 

Valenti, D. (2015. December 4). Facing death full of life. TedxBerkshires. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JRwCdmewl0

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