DULUTH, Minn. – Team Hope is Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s (HDSA) largest national grassroots fundraising event. Thousands of families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and communities walk together each year to support HDSA’s fight to improve the lives of people affected by HD and their families.
This year’s walk is happening Saturday, Sept. 25 at 11 a.m. at Endion Park, located at 200 Lake Place Drive along Duluth’s Lakewalk.
All donations go towards HDSA.
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 usually during their prime working years and has no cure.
Every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene that causes Huntington’s disease. Today, there are approximately 41,000 symptomatic Americans and 200,000 at-risk of inheriting the disease.
In less than 10% of cases, juvenile Huntington’s disease (JHD) affects children & adolescents.
JHD usually has a more rapid progression rate than adult-onset HD; the earlier the onset, the faster JHD progresses.
HD is described as having ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s diseases – simultaneously.
HD is characterized by a triad of symptoms, including progressive motor dysfunction, behavioral disturbance, and cognitive decline.