October 9, 2017 I HOPE YOU DANCE

Regardless of the STRANGE weather we've been having--it's still apple crisp season in my house. Rounded up the FAM--a huge undertaking--and set off to do some apple picking last Saturday. It's a tradition--and my daughter LOVES tradition--a 3 hour drive to pick apples--NO PROBLEM. I'm sure my oldest son didn't REALLY want to go--but he's a trooper--so he'd never let us down. He understands how important it is to spend time with family. SO GLAD my daughter insists on sticking to ALL of our traditions because they are important. Every family has them--little things they do together--that keep  them connected. A glue that helps bind them together. A comfort too. Just spending a few hours  together--the way we used to--before one jettisons off to Michigan for the week and the other back to Boston until Thanksgiving. In a world as chaotic and unsettling as ours, traditions remind us what's really important--family. I just finished reading a wonderful book, Inside the O'Briens, about a close Irish Catholic family who have to learn  to deal with the effects of Huntington's disease.

Lisa Genova, the author of this novel, is also a neuroscientist whose understanding of medicine is paramount. Through Inside the O'Briens, she brings this devastating disease to life in the main character Joe O'Brien. Joe is a 43 year old police officer living in Charlestown, Ma. He is a devoted husband and father of four who is diagnosed with Huntington's disease after dealing with involuntary movement, disorganized thinking and temper tantrums for several years. Genova wrote this book to raise awareness of Huntington's disease and teach people what it's like for not only the patient, but also the family, to live and deal with this deadly disease that has no treatment or cure. Huntington's disease is a genetic disease---passed from one generation to the next. Joe's children have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease--which begs the question--should they be tested. As Joe's four children grapple with this question, Joe has to learn to live with a disease that's essentially tearing him apart. He has to learn to appreciate every moment of every day--a lesson we should all learn. This essential book is about 350 pages--or a 4 mile run--that we should all read. Awareness & Hope matter.