Harrison Kairalla

Mr. Jackson
Biology P.3
4-10-15
Dear Mr. Madjack Jackson,
I am in a great deal of pain here and i know you are busy, but I've done some research
on huntington's disease (HD) and I think we can save my life.The disease was named after
George Huntington who discovered the gene in 1872 (Fact 1). People are diagnosed with a
clinical examination, which may include a brain scan, and by looking at your family history
(Fact 2). HD is caused by a mutation on the fourth chromosome (1). The job of huntingtin, a
protein product, is to direct the delivery of small vesicles containing molecules to the outside of
the cell (Fact 3).Huntingtons affects the basal ganglia, a part of the brain that controls
coordination, and the brain cortex, which acts as the center for thought, perception, and memory
(Fact 4). Anyone That inherits the gene will get the disease (Fact 5). The gene contains a
sequence of CAG over and over. A normal person has the sequence repeating 10 to 26 times.
People with HD like me, can have the sequence approximately 40 times or more (1). There are
three main symptoms to Huntingtons. The first is movement which can cause clumsiness,
muscle spasms, and restlessness. People with HD also have problems thinking clearly. It gets
harder to communicate and understand what is being said. Lastly it affects your mood and
emotions. the most common symptom is depression (2). Huntingtons can start at any age but it
is most often found to begin between the ages of 30 through 50. The disease gets worse over
time. Current treatments for HD dont slow the disease but they can significantly make the
patient more comfortable. Medications can help ease depression and physical and speech
therapy help patients to lead more normal lives. In the U.S., about 1 in every 30,000 people
have the disease (4). Once the disease has taken effect, it usually kills in 10 to 20 years (5).
Some patients lose over 25% of their brain cells before they die. Some other causes of death
from HD are Pneumonia, injuries related to falls, and complications from the inability to swallow.
Although there is no effective treatment now, people that are affected can take drugs to dull
down the disease so they can live comfortably until they die (3). There is lots of stem cell
research being done and there might be a cell which can be created to help restore muscle
coordination deficits that are related to the uncontrollable spasms (7). I believe with your
medical expertise, you can cure Huntington's disease in me and for anyone else in the world
who has it.

Please Help Soon,

Harrison Kairalla

Harrison Kairalla
Mr. Jackson
Biology P.3
4-10-15
Works cited
1.
"Huntington's Disease." Complications. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/huntingtons-disease/basics/complications/con20030685>.
2.
"Huntingtons Disease Scorecard." Stanford University News RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10
Apr. 2015. <http://web.stanford.edu/group/hopes/cgi-bin/hopes_test/huntingtons-diseasescorecard/>.

3.
Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/243093.php>.