For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Cosentino
Director of Marketing & Communications
Phone: (212) 242-1968 x229
Email: ccosentino@hdsa.org
Lisa Genova, Allie LaForce & Marc Scibilia Team Up to Fight HD During Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month
New York, NY (May 1, 2015) – The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) announced today that tickets for the highly anticipated event Life in HD: A Conversation with Lisa Genova are now on sale. The event will also be celebrating Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month.
The event will take place on Wednesday, May 27th at 7pm at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City. Doors open at 6:30pm and seating is limited.
Tickets are $50 and can be purchased by visiting www.hdsa.org/lifeinhd. Tickets include admission to the post show reception and meet & greet where light food and drinks will be served.
The event will feature a one-on-one conversation between New York Times best-selling author Lisa Genova and Emmy Award winning anchor Allie LaForce. Lisa follows up her critically acclaimed novel Still Alice with her new book Inside the O’Briens which is about a family battling HD. Allie is married to major league pitcher Joe Smith who is at-risk of inheriting HD.
The conversation portion of the event features two amazing women who come from different ends of the HD spectrum. Aside from Lisa’s success as a novelist, she is also a neuroscientist and will be able to cast a powerful spotlight on the impact on the role of families in HD research. Meanwhile, Allie shares her husband’s family story and the insights of her mother-in-law’s experience as one of the 30,000 Americans affected by “the Quintessential Family Disease.”
The event will also feature a very special musical performance from Marc Scibilia. Shaped by the musical heritage of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, Marc has been called America’s next great singer songwriter. The Buffalo, NY native’s incredible rendition of the Guthrie classic This Land is Your Land was featured in Jeep’s Beautiful Lands 2015 Super Bowl commercial and Marc is now following the Guthrie family legacy to support those battling Huntington’s disease: The Quintessential Family Disease.
“The Life in HD event will take our audience back to the roots of our organization which was started by Marjorie Guthrie with captivating storytelling and music,” said HDSA CEO Louise Vetter. “Having Lisa, Allie and Marc all on one stage is proof that no one fights this devastating disease alone. Life in HD promises to be insightful, entertaining and inspiring.”
Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.hdsa.org/lifeinhd. Seating is limited and the event is expected to sell out so reserve your tickets today!
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Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure. HD is known as the quintessential family disease because every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of carrying the faulty gene. Today, there are approximately 30,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 at-risk of inheriting the disease.
The Huntington’s Disease Society of America is the premier nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by HD. From community services and education to advocacy and research, HDSA is the world’s leader in providing help for today and hope for tomorrow for people with HD and their families.
HDSA was founded in 1968 by Marjorie Guthrie, the wife of legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie. Woody died from HD complications in 1967 when he was only 55 years old, but the Guthrie family legacy lives on at HDSA to this day.
To learn more about Huntington’s disease and the work of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, visit www.hdsa.org or call (800)345-HDSA.
