On Friday, April 25, a group of women came together to walk through Wawota to raise awareness for Huntington Disease (HD) with a Fourth Annual Walk for the Cure.
HD is an inherited brain disorder, which causes brain cells to die slowly limiting brain function to the point of incapacitation and death, according to the Huntington Society of Canada.
Because Huntington is a dominant genetic trait, children with a parent who has HD will be at a 50 percent risk of inheriting the disease.
The Huntington Society describes HD as "having Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Schizophrenia all in one disease."
"As the disease progresses, a person with Huntington's become less able to manage movements, recall events, make decisions and control emotions."
HD affects one in every 1,000 Canadians, with approximately one in 7,000 Canadians with the disease.
In 2006 researchers in Canada found a way to stop the progression of HD, which was a huge breakthrough while in 2012 a University of Alberta professor found success with injecting mice with ganglioside GM1 reversing the motor symptoms of the disease, the Huntington Society stated.
Together five women and one dog traversed Wawota. Up and down streets they walked for approximately a half an hour.
They were able to raise approximately $1,200 and it will be donated to the Huntington Society of Canada to help further research.
Joanne Corkish and Barbara Dennis, two of the walk organizers and participants, also sell amaryllis flowers to raise money for the cause. They take orders throughout the year and deliver them in October.
