Teen With Huntington’s Disease Let Go From Job at Local Restaurant

1. Teen With Huntington’s Disease Let Go From Job at Local Restaurant By Mathew Roche 1/28/08 A local teen named Hunter Bradshaw was recently let go from his job at the local Ruby Tuesday restaurant on North Main Street. This young man was recently diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. We interviewed the manager, Mike Robinson, for additional details. Mr. Robinson said, “Hunter was a very hard worker, and it wasn’t until recently that I noticed him making mistakes. My first inclination was that the boy had been drinking, and I warned him that if that were true he would be fired. However, I found out that the boy had been diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. I had to let him go because it would be too dangerous to Hunter and the customers, if he were to continue working.” (continued on next page)

2. This incident has really sparked my interest of Huntington’s Disease. Previously, I had known little about this disorder. Thus, when I came upon this incident with Hunter, I decided to research HD and share it with others that maybe unfamiliar upon the effects of this disease. HD, first of all, is a very dangerous disease. It is a degenerative disease that progressively destroys the victim’s brain cells. Usually HD is onset when a person is in his middle ages. Also, sadly, death usually occurs ten to thirty years after diagnosis. Since Hunter is only sixteen years old and has already been diagnosed, he has a very aggressive form of HD. This is why his mannerisms in the workplace seemed to decline so rapidly. As time goes on the symptoms of HD get worse due to a single abnormal gene causing the wasting away of brain cells. These symptoms include sudden, involuntary movements, severe problems with balance and coordination, slurred speech, swallowing problems, and Dementia, along with others. In addition, Hunter’s father also has the disease. HD is abnormal from other disorders because an individual has a fifty percent chance of passing the defective gene on to his offspring. In Hunter’s father’s case, he had no idea that he had HD at the time of Hunter’s birth. This is because he did not have symptoms until several years later. Mr. Bradshaw said, “I am haunted each and every day by the fact that I am responsible for the suffering my son is encountering.” This family is really struggling and it is awful to see. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they face the difficulties ahead. Currently there is no cure to HD. My hope is that others will respond to Hunter’s story and eventually a cure will be found for this life-threatening disorder.

3. Sources www.caregiver.org www.mayoclinic.com