WAYLAND, MASS. (WHDH) - A local group took to the ice on Saturday to participate in curling for an important cause: combating Huntington’s Disease.
Dozens of people and representatives of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s Massachusetts and Rhode Island chapter came together to raise money for funding research toward addressing Huntington’s Disease, a rare genetic and neurological disorder affecting only about 41,000 people across the country.
Experts say symptoms first start showing in middle age, and after they start, the patient only has 10 to 20 years to live.
Cheryl Sullivan Staveley lost her husband, John, to the disease.
“He always just said to both of my daughters, ‘I hope you don’t get the gene that causes this but if you do, you do everything you can for as long as you can,” she said.
Huntington’s Disease is genetic, which means children have a 50/50 chance of getting the gene from a parent.
Cheryl’s daughter, Meghan, was diagnosed with juvenile Huntington’s at 19 years old. She died at 26.
She says working to raise money for a cure is part of honoring their legacy.
Participants at the fundraiser said recent breakthroughs in research have them feeling optimistic.
Learn more: www.hdsa.org/thwboston
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