I just finished reading the book given to me by a professor and wow, did it get my mind spinning.
It was called Inside the O’Briens, by Lisa Genova. I don’t want to give too much away in case you end up interested in reading it yourself, but overall I really enjoyed it! It was about a family and their struggles with something called Huntington’s Disease. Huntington’s occurs when nerve cells in the brain begin to breakdown. Symptoms can start showing in a person’s 30s or 40s, and these include issues with memory as well as uncontrolled movements of the body (arms, legs, etc).
My professor wanted me to read the story as there is a genetic counselor involved (HD is inherited), and it got me thinking about a lot of other things. Any sort of condition or disorder can have a huge impact on one’s family and friends. It’s all in how you decide to respond to and cope with whatever the situation may be. I was reminded by mom the other day about how often I was put into surgery for the first 10 years or so of my life (9 sets of tubes for these ears 😝). My grandmother would be called to watch my brother and sister while my mom and dad were with me. Each time, both siblings would be told to say goodbye before we walked out the door. Now that I think about it, I’m still glad they did that. 😊
Anyway, my point is also this. Having a condition like Huntington’s or Turner’s does NOT make you any less HUMAN than those next to you. We all have our own struggles and difficulties that we face every single day. We all hurt sometimes. We all learn to love and have the want to be accepted by others, no matter what. We all want to understand life itself and what it all means. It’s the human condition, and we’re meant to go on the same exact journey to figure it all out. Pretty cool, don’t you think? 😄
Life with Colleen Mary 