While the number of people in the United States diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease is only approximately thirty thousand, it’s a devastating illness that Dr. Courtney Bennett knows about all too well. Her mother passed away from the disease in 2009, and it also claimed the lives of her grandmother, uncle, great aunts and several cousins. Thankfully, Bennett has been tested and found not to have the disease, but with a fifty percent transmission rate it’s sure to continue to haunt her family life for years.
While helping to care for her mother in Pittsburgh, she became very involved in the Huntington’s support community, and now sits on the board of the Huntington Disease Society of America. On September thirteenth, the Louisville chapter of the HDSA will be hosting the local at Thurman Hutchins Park, and Bennett will be right there leading the pack. “My mum had been involved in many fundraisers back in Pittsburgh and I will be walking in memory of her this year,” she said. After her mother’s passing she took a break from being directly involved, and is starting up again with the walk.
Huntington’s Disease is a neural degenerative syndrome, and sufferers increasingly lose muscle control and cognitive function. Like many other progressive neural diseases, seeing a loved one gradually decline can be one of the most painful things a person can experience, and HDSA provides support for those dealing with the disease, as well as their family members and friends.
Louisville’s chapter regularly hold meetings on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Kosair Charities Center on Eastern Parkway. Check out the chapter website for more information on the walk and other HDSA Louisville activities.
Photo courtesy Dr Courtney Bennett
