Team Hope Walk Gathers In Tulsa To Raise Awareness For Huntington's Disease

At LaFortune Park, a group of Tulsans walked a mile with the hope that others would know how it feels to walk in their shoes.

Saturday, July 31st 2021, 6:31 pm



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At LaFortune Park, a group of Tulsans walked a mile with the hope that others would know how it feels to walk in their shoes.

The Huntington's Disease Society of America gathered for its Team Hope Walk to raise awareness for Huntington's Disease.

Organizer Andrea Garrett was a caregiver for her mother-in-law who had HD.

"This is just really near and dear to my heart," Garrett said.

Medical experts say the disease is like having ALS, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's at the same time.

They also say the children of HD carriers have a 50 percent chance of getting it themselves.

Walk participant James Self says giving and getting advice is crucial because there is never a case that is ever the same.

"It's hard for there to be a guide on how to take care of the problem when three people can show completely different symptoms," Self said.

Garrett says it's hard to be a caregiver for a family member with HD, much less knowing you have a chance of getting it yourself. But she says for her, family is everything.

"It's giving purpose to this struggle, like being able to do that gives me an opportunity to share the experiences that I went through as a caregiver," Garrett said.

Self says one of the biggest lessons he's gotten from being around the disease is to live every day of your life as if it is your last.

"If you're going to be someone yourself who will eventually lose access to some of those things, you've got to get out there you got to make sure you do stuff," Self said. "You got to make sure you experience life as much as you can, because there might be a time where you can't do as much as you can now."


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