HOLLAND, Ohio — When you hear about brain diseases, illnesses like Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia usually top the list. While Huntington's Disease is rarer, it's just as deadly with. One local woman knows the battle all too well.
Holland
Huntington's is an inherited disease which destroys nerve cells in the brain over time. The terminal disease has heavily impacted Peggy Palka's life along with her son's, who lives with her.
As her diagnoses grows worse, the pair want to bring awareness to the illness.
"It's real hard, my sister took her own life, it's so painful," said Palka. "Knowing that I can't be here cause my asthma and COPD, and now with the Huntington's on top of it, it's worse."
Breathing machines, inhalers and a wheelchair ramp are some of the things Palka needs just to get around her home as she battles the disease that's destroying her cognitive, physical and emotional state every day.
"It's like I have Tourette's, dementia, AIDs, Parkinsons all wrapped up into one, and it's very very painful," said Palka.
What makes the fight even harder is she has limited resources and assistance to help her. She said prayer, her service dog Reggie and her son Thomas help her to get by.
"It puts a smile on my face and keeps me happy and keeps my disability in check because I'm moving around too much to let it try and slow me down," said Thomas.
However with a disability of his own, Thomas can only do so much to help around the house. Take the bathroom for instance, it's all the way across the house from Palka's room.
"Since I had all the brain surgeries and stuff, I won't go getting in the shower unless she's awake and she's able to get me help in case I fall," said Thomas.
Thomas said after they renovated the bathroom for more accessibility a few years ago, the outlets don't work now which has created a hazard for Thomas' cane. It's a problem they can't fix themselves or afford a professional to help.
"Now it's got me to where I have to crawl on my hands and knees because I'm afraid I'm going to trip over it," said Thomas.
Thomas and Peggy want to share their story and bring awareness to their struggles where they hope someone can help them, like they would for others and each other.
Palka explained, "When I'm down he waits on me hand and foot, when he's down I wait on him hand and foot."
Currently, there's no cure for Huntington's disease with medications only helping to manage the symptoms. However, for both Peggy and her son Thomas, they say their disabilities won't define them and they'll keep praying.
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