Staying positive while watching someone you love go through Huntington’s disease is definitely a challenge for all of us. It is much easier to focus on the bad parts and dwell on the sadness. But it is crucial for families going through this awful disease together to find some happiness amid all of the sadness.
For my family, we enjoy the time we have together. We do a lot of activities together and take a lot of pictures. We tell stories about days passed and reminisce. My mom decided she wants to visit all of the National Parks, so we are working towards getting her to all of them, and my parents travel to new places together as frequently as they can. As I have said in another post, we try to laugh about things as much as possible because it makes everything easier to cope with.
For myself, writing this blog helps me to deal with everything. I am able to talk about my mother in a positive light while sharing facts and information about this disease. It is cathartic for me, and even if no one reads it I will keep writing. Sometimes I focus too much on what has been lost to HD, so this is good for me to do. Talking about it helps a lot, because then I am not experiencing this all alone or just with my dad. It can be hard sometimes, but we enjoy our times with each other.
Huntington’s disease is certainly no picnic, but if you focus on everything that has been lost, you will miss all of the time that is in front of you right now. HD can’t stop you from living your life to the fullest while you are able to.
sleepdeprivedmommyoftwo 