By Zach Foss
The Huntington disease (HD) cause is really personal for me. My grandmother passed away from Huntington disease and now my dad is going through the exact same thing. I also have many aunts, uncles and cousins who are affected by it.
It’s tough to watch them get worse and to see how HD affects not just their bodies but also their personalities.
This summer, I got involved in supporting the Huntington Society of Canada for the first time. One of my cousins is president of the Camrose Chapter, and I went to the golf tournament they organized. Now I want to do something myself, so I’m volunteering for the #LightItUp4HD campaign.
Our goal is to raise awareness about HD by lighting up one Canadian landmark in blue and purple every night throughout the month of May. I saw how much impact it made on social media when the CN Tower was lit up this past May. Even my friends were talking about it. So when I heard how the Huntington Society wants to take it to the next level in 2016, I jumped at the opportunity to light up some landmarks here in Edmonton.
Legislature Building, Edmonton
The legislature building is going to be lit up in May 2016, and now I’m trying to see if we can get City Hall on board as well. It will be absolutely incredible to see the legislature lit up blue and purple and know that I could have that kind of impact. Arranging everything takes a little persistence, but once you tell people what the cause is, it’s very hard for them to say no.
I can’t wait to see so many landmarks lit up next May. I’m not sure how we’re going to top that in 2017, but I’m sure we’ll find a way.