The Dancing Warrior with HD

  Well, I cannot believe it has been another couple of months since I last posted. I have a lot to share with you. My husband and I both celebrated our birthdays last month. We kept it simple and fun. We went paddle boarding, and I had dinner with a group of my girlfriends, which was so special to me. I also had breakfast with two of my closest friends at a new place which I thoroughly enjoyed! I also went on a trail ride with a couple of my friends and I borrowed a horse who reminds me of my sweet horse who passed away.I had a wonderful time! "We also have some exciting travel plans coming up that I will share more about once everything is set. I recently had an appointment with Dr. Gates, who is the new holistic neurologist I have been seeing for the last two years! He has me do brain exercises and I have some tests eye scans I do when I'm there and I received some really great news. I am back up to my regular weight, which has been a huge struggle for me over the past coupl...

  Happy New Year! I cannot believe how quickly another year has arrived. Last year was not an easy one, but it was also filled with so many beautiful moments. God is so good, even in the hard seasons. One of the biggest blessings this past year was reconnecting with my old church. I met some new friends who invited me back, and the moment I walked in, it felt like coming home. That sense of belonging and faith has meant more to me than I can put into words. I am incredibly thankful for the family and friends who have stepped in to help me get everywhere I need to go. Losing the ability to drive has been a huge adjustment, but it has also shown me just how loved I am. I am especially grateful for the friends who take me horseback riding. Being with horses truly feels like heaven on earth to me. I am also so thankful for the people who call and text just to check in and see how I am doing. Those small moments of connection mean everything. I am blessed by the friends who make sure I ...

  Hello family and friends! I realize it has been a long time since my last blog post, and I am so excited to share another story about one of the amazing people in my life through the Huntington’s Disease community. This time, I want to tell you about   Jenny Rogers. I met Jenny not long after I was gene tested. She was living in Las Vegas at the time, and our dear friend Penny Riley introduced us at a local chapter convention. Penny thought we would get along because we were the same age, and she was right! We became fast friends and started doing everything together. Jenny is beautiful inside and out. I’ll never forget the day she decided to get tested. Penny and I were with her that day when she received her results, and she tested positive. Even through that difficult moment, Jenny showed incredible courage and grace. She went on to turn her experience into something powerful by helping to start her own HDSA chapter in Las Vegas. She even created a walk there after joinin...

  For my next story, I want to share about someone who has had a huge impact on my life through the Huntington’s disease community. Her name is   Penny Riley , and I met her at one of the Swisher golf tournaments not long after I was gene tested. Penny was a firecracker of a woman! She worked as the Area Director for Northern California and Nevada and was in charge of marketing and fundraising for HDSA. Everyone loved her because she was personable, friendly, and so much fun to be around. But more than that, she had a way of showing up for families that was unmatched. She drove and flew all over to meet people, making sure no one felt alone in this fight. From the moment we met, she took me into her life and family. After that first event, I was hooked. I started attending everything, basketball shoots, gala dinners, walks, bowling nights, baseball games, local conventions, and national conventions. Penny became my guide and mentor. We traveled together, shared rooms at events...

  Hello and happy summer to you all! I’ve been thinking about what to share with you next, and I kept coming back to this feeling in my heart about highlighting another amazing HD warrior. Her name is  Stacy Cushenberry , and if you’ve ever had the privilege of meeting her, you know just how special she is. Stacy was the  very first person  I met at my very first HDSA National Convention, many years ago. I remember feeling so overwhelmed at that event, unsure of what to expect. And then I met Stacy—and just like that, I didn’t feel so alone anymore. Her story is powerful. Stacy lost her mom to Huntington’s disease when she was younger. She later got tested and found out she does  not  carry the HD gene. But her younger brother tested positive and is now symptomatic. He is married and has a little one, and he is incredibly talented—every year at the convention, he would play guitar and sing in the talent show, always touching everyone’s hearts. Stacy has nev...

  HD Awareness Month: Celebrating Friendship, Faith, and a True Warrior Hello, friends! It’s May, which means it’s Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month—a time that is close to my heart. Every year during this month, I take time to spread awareness about HD, answer questions, and share more about what this journey has looked like for me. It’s also a special opportunity to honor the incredible people in my life who are walking this path with me. And this year, I want to highlight someone very near and dear to me—my best friend and fellow HD warrior, Amy Fedele! Amy and I first met at a local HD convention. She had taken over organizing the Sacramento walk that I originally started, and that day she was there promoting the event. We struck up a conversation, and something just clicked between us. Not long after that, we saw each other again at the national convention in Los Angeles. We spent so much time together there and by the time the September walk came around, we had already bec...