Dear Friends, Family and Loyal Supporters,

After taking a year off to focus on some intense family and personal issues, I am looking forward to participating in a fundraising walk for Huntington's Disease again, this time in San Francisco with my cousins and friends from the Bay Area.

For those who are unfamiliar, Huntington's is a genetic, neurological disease which causes degeneration in the affected individual's ability to reason, control emotions, concentrate on simple tasks, walk, speak and eventually swallow. It is ultimately fatal but does not die with the individual- each child of a person with HD has a 50% chance of inheriting it.

That is why I believe Huntington's Disease is such an important cause to fight. We are closer than ever to finding treatments and a cure that will end this familial legacy of mental and physical anguish, along with fear, stigma, and guilt. 

Thanks to a generous scholarship from the HDSA National Youth Alliance, I was able to attend the HDSA Annual Convention in Pittsburgh this past June. It was a weekend that changed my life. Meeting so many young people who have experienced what I have been through and are dealing with the same decisions regarding their future...I was heartbroken and devastated to see in person how powerful and full-ranging the effects of this horrible disease are, but even more I was uplifted and inspired, awed by the courage, especially of those younger than me, in their teens and early twenties, facing this disease in their own life with such bravery.  I was encouraged more than ever to do what I can to help change the future of Huntington's Disease.  

At the convention I also learned about much of the innovative research being conducted around the world. The results of an exciting study published just weeks ago, showed that a compound called HDACi 4b was found to actually reverse symptoms in mice that had been genetically altered to inherit the disease.  There is so much promise in these studies, I am confident that the collective impact of fundraising will truly be felt by those living with HD, as well as those living with the prospect of inheriting it.

I certainly know times are tough for everyone but please just do what you can, even if it is simply passing along what you have learned from me regarding HD. Understanding and compassion are just as important to changing the face of this disease.

Thank you... from the very depths of my broken and mended heart, thank you!

~Chantal

PS. Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.