An Ohio University student appeared on WSAZ's First Look at Four the day before her graduation to raise awareness for Huntington's disease -- a disorder that has deeply affected her family.
Hallie Kile, 22, is selling shirts to benefit medical research and sharing her very personal story. May is Huntington's Disease Awareness Month.
"Huntington's disease is a neurological disorder," Kile explained. "It's described as ALS, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's all combined. It's genetic, like I said, so I'm actually at risk."
Kile's dad died from the disease when she was just 16 years old.
"My dad was symptomatic my entire life," said Kile. "He was diagnosed officially when I was nine years old. That was the same year that my sister passed away, so my family was kind of reeling from that."
She says she has been passionate about raising awareness for the disorder and fighting for a cure ever since.
Kile studied journalism and pre-medicine at OU. She graduated Saturday and plans to pursue her passion after getting experience in both hospital and laboratory settings.
"I feel like that's why I was put on this planet is to work with Huntington's," said Kile. "This has been something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to work with neurodegenerative disorders."