By Joseph Holloway
DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — The Huntington’s Disease Society of America reports 41,000 Americans are suffering from the disease. There is no cure but people were in Durham today for a walk aimed at changing that.
The HDSA hosted this year’s “North Carolina Team Hope Walk” at Lowe’s Grove Middle School in Durham. The goal was to raise money toward finding a cure for Huntington’s disease, a fatal genetic disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain.
Lead volunteer McKenzie Luxmore is also a nurse who’s worked with Huntington’s patients.
“So this has been compared to having ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s all combined,” Luxmore said.
Melissa Ryant and her fiancée Erika Boulavsky both grew up with mothers who had the disease and now, Melissa’s brother, Rick Fatica, has it. All three of them attended Saturday’s event.
“He kind of took responsibility for her, trying to make sure she got everything she needed and so now, I’m doing the same for him,” Ryant said.
Volunteers say nearly 100 people signed up for the walk.