Downstate’s first Team Hope walk looks to raise funds for Huntingon’s

huntingtons-disease-association

Tara Guidinger has learned a lot about the neurodegenerative disease, Huntington’s disease since her mother was diagnosed in 2011.

But looking to spread awareness and to raise funds to help people with Huntington’s and their families, she’s brought the first Team Hope Walk chapter to downstate Illinois.

This is now the only Team Hope Walk in Illinois, outside of one in Naperville.

It will take place this Sunday at Lake Storey, just east of the Pavilion.

Huntington’s causes a progressive breakdown of nerve cells that deteriorates a person’s mental and physical abilities, often in prime working years. Guidinger calls a combination of ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s at the same time.

“There’s a treatment that helps with what’s called ‘chorea.’ Which is the [unintentional] movements that people get… The treatment can help with that a little bit. To help them sleep so they’re not moving around as much.”

All the money raised Sunday will stay in Illinois to exclusively assist Illinois families.

Guidinger’s mother has been diagnosed and every child of someone with Huntington’s Disease has a 50 percent chance of also eventually being diagnosed.

“We thought maybe she had Parkinson’s or some other neurological disease. And she finally agreed to get tested and we didn’t know anything about it until she tested positive for Huntington’s.”

Registration will start at 9:30 am. for a $35 entry fee, the walk will start at 10:30 am. with the event wrapping up around 1:30 pm. The Memphis Dives are providing the tunes and Smokin’ Willie’s Barbecue will have their food for sale.

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