Cold Springs Station Resort would like to introduce to all of our customers, guests, and friends our new General Manager Nick McNeil and his wife Christine. They come fresh from Tacoma Washington where Nick was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force after serving his country for six years which included two deployments overseas. His beautiful wife Christine has been a stay at home mom raising three children with recently being diagnosed with Huntington’s disease they wanted to be closer to home and family. Christine has been helping Nick out in the restaurant when available but is challenged at times. Since May is Huntington’s Awareness Month here are some facts about Huntington’s disease
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities usually during their prime working years and has no cure. HD is known as the quintessential family disease because every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene. Today, there are approximately 30,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 at-risk of inheriting the disease.
The symptoms of HD are described as having ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – simultaneously.
Symptoms Include:
- Personality changes, mood swings & depression
- Forgetfulness & impaired judgment
- Unsteady gait & involuntary movements (chorea)
- Slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing & significant weight loss
Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 30 to 50 and worsen over a 10 to 25-year period. Ultimately, the weakened individual succumbs to pneumonia, heart failure or other complications. Everyone has the gene that causes HD, but only those that inherit the expansion of the gene will develop HD and perhaps pass it on to each of their children. Every person who inherits the expanded HD gene will eventually develop the disease. Over time, HD affects the individual’s ability to reason, walk and speak. For more information please visit https://hdsa.org/what-is-hd/overview -of-huntingtons-disease/