Day 1: The Diagnoses

Dad & Mom with grandkids shortly after we moved into our new house.

I remember many days like they were yesterday, but today 2 particular days come to mind. We had suspected for so long, but she had been tested negative in the past … heartbreaking … it didn’t make sense that it could be … this day, however; confirmed our suspicions once and for all. My mom had Huntington’s Disease.

The doctor had called and gave us the news over the phone. The heartbreak and devastation on my dad’s face was enough to break anyone. They were childhood sweethearts and that man loved her more than life itself, but what scared me most that day was that she seemed to okay with the news. I knew that couldn’t be true, but it is how she appeared. Was she trying to be strong for us? Was she in shock? It’s hard to say for certain, but not knowing what she was feeling terrified me. See my mother had suffered from great depression for many years and was suicidal. We now know this was an early sign of her Huntington’s Disease, and as the years went on the depression became worse and she was eventually diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and her manic swings were horrifying.

Day 2: This House we Live In

We had been out looking for a new home to move into together so that I could care for both my parents, primarily my mom. We were looking at this house …

this is the house we live in today. The day we were looking she disappeared so quickly … Nowhere in sight, but we could hear her screaming and all of sudden we all ran in the direction of her screams. Her body was beginning to lose control and it had taken off running and she was unable to stop herself. We were not able to catch her in time and she had hit the fence face first on the complete opposite side of the house.

I remember how scared I was, the look of fear in everyone else’s face when we all realized she was in danger and we didn’t know where she was. What I remember most is the fear and embarrassment on her face when we found her. 

Huntington’s Disease had already taken so much from her and from us and it wasn’t even anywhere near done.