Faces of HD

My son Stephen, we call him Stevie, was born on a very special day — Thanksgiving 1975 He was such an adorable baby. I remember thinking that he was very alert for a newborn. His eyes were wide open. My Stephen was such a good baby! He didn’t cry much, he slept all night, and he smiled from ear to ear when I spoke to him. As Stevie grew he became a charmer. He had a personality that won everybody’s heart. As a toddler he loved to play with family and friends, His smile would just capture your attention. He had a husky build. He had big legs like a soccer player. He began playing soccer at the age of four. He also played baseball. He loved sports. He was a very normal little boy. As a teenager his love of sports grew. He was very athletic. He played football in high school.  He was a normal kid who enjoyed bowling, fishing and working out at the local gym.

Later, he enlisted into the the service. He was a proud Marine.  And we were proud of him.

But  in 2006 our world turned upside down… Stevie was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (HD).

I had always prayed that my son would not inherit the HD gene. I saw his Dad go through this horrible disease. I didn’t want

my only child to be affected. His father died of HD in 1987 when Stevie was 12 years old. He took his dad’s death very hard because he had not seen him in six months. Stevie told me that he wanted to remember his dad the way he was — healthy.

HD also took the lives of his Uncle Ernest and Grandma Rosa.

Today Stevie continues to struggle with everything. Eating, walking, talking — everything is such a challenge. It was not too long ago he was able to still enjoy playing his PlayStation, he now is  unable to do that. It saddens me a lot to see my son this way .

It brings a smile to my face when I see Stevie get excited about watching the Texas Rangers play ball on TV, A true fan, Stevie dresses up for the game — he wears his Ranger’s jersey and cap. He’s also a Mavericks and Cowboys fan and

wears the teams’ colors for those games too. (It’s so cute!)

The past three years I have walked to raise HD awareness. There are a lot of people that don’t know what HD is. Some people never even heard of the disease. We need to continue to raise HD awareness and help find a cure. It’s to late for my Stevie, but there are a lot of young children out there are carrying the gene. I think about them. I pray for a cure.

Stevie’s Proud Mom,

Fidelia