Walks to bring awareness to a rare degenerative disease were held in five Iowa cities over the weekend.
Huntington’s disease is a genetic brain disorder that causes progressive nerve cell breakdown, which brings a decline in physical and mental abilities.
Angie Conley, who lives in Polk City, helped to organize Saturday’s walk in Le Mars.
“With this disease, usually people start showing symptoms in their 30s or 40s, typically when they’re in the middle of raising their family or in the middle of their career, and it can cause a lot of problems,” Conley says. “My husband, Jamie, was diagnosed with Huntington’s about 4 or 5 years ago, and so he has since stopped working, just with some of the cognitive issues that he has.”
If someone’s parent has Huntington’s, they have a 50% chance of inheriting the deadly disease. Conley says it’s like having Alzheimer’s, ALS and Parkinson’s all at once.
“I find that over time it’s difficult because, the things that my husband used to do, I have to slowly take on those responsibilities,” Conley says. “It can be kind of challenging at times, but you just have to roll with the punches.”
The Conley family is taking part in a research project with the Center for Excellence at the University of Iowa. Money raised during the walks will help with the development of a treatment, and research in finding a cure.
Angie’s daughter, Emma Conley, was pleased the Le Mars walk raised a few thousand dollars.
“It is really, really nice to know that there is support in the community for these people and people care, and I’m just really glad about that,” she says.
Other walks took place in Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City and Indianola. For more information about Huntington’s disease, visit: hdsa.org.