JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Dozens are doing what they can to bring attention to a rare inherited disease that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.
They call themselves Mississippi Team Hope. They walked to support the Huntington Disease Society of America (HDSA).
Team Hope is HDSA’s largest national grassroots fundraising event, which takes place in over 100 cities across the United States.
Huntington’s disease has a broad impact on a person’s functional abilities. It usually results in movement, thinking and psychiatric disorders. Families said they’ve found a family through support groups like these.
“When Nathan first got diagnosed in 2016, we felt alone. We didn’t know anyone else like us. That’s why we work so hard with awareness to help others not feel like we did. We just so happen to have a sponsor at a dinner. We kind of became a little family because we’re all going through the same thing,” said the family of Nathan Willmoth.
Huntington’s affects about 300 Mississippi families, according to Team Hope. Their goal was to raise $6,000. They exceeded their expectations by raising more than $11,000.