James Torrington Valvano

One With The Blue James Torrington Valvano

James Valvano was diagnosed with Huntington's disease in 2009. Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary, degenerative, and terminal brain disease for which there is no current treatment or cure. Huntington's does not skip generations. This disease slowly diminishes the affected individual's ability to walk, talk, and reason. In time, the person with HD relies completely upon others for their personal care. HD affects the lives of entire families - emotionally, psychologically, socially, and economically. HD affects males, females, and knows no ethnic and racial boundaries. Many of us within the international community describe the symptoms of JHD/HD as having, ALS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Dementia, Bipolar disorder, and Schizophrenia - all at the same time. Simply, Huntington's disease is more than a physical disease! Every child of a person with Huntington's disease has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the fatal gene. Often, the individual with HD might seem to be (or act) "drunk" to the on-looker, due to the physical attributes of the disease. In March of 2011, James created the nonprofit organization called WeHaveAFace.org. The mission of the organization is to broaden global awareness of Huntington's and Juvenile Huntington's disease. Currently, the organization has nonprofits in Canada, Mexico, England and Wales, and Germany. James wrote "One With The Blue" after recalling a question from a psychology professor: "If you could depict the end of your life, how would you write your story?" For James, One With The Blue anwers that question. James Valvano is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker and continues to broaden global awareness of Huntington's and Juvenile Huntington's disease. For more information about this disease, visit: www. WeHaveAFace.org