Huntington’s NSW ACT Board Member and Chair of the Community Advisory Committee
Q. How did you get involved in the HD world?
A. Like so many other people I first heard and learnt about Huntington’s Disease when a family member was diagnosed. That was over 30 years ago now and back then there wasn’t a great deal of user friendly information or support.
Q. Why did you become a Huntington’s NSW ACT board member?
A. I decided to put my hand up to join the Huntington’s NSW ACT board as a way of being able to give something back to the Association. Many times over the years our family has turned to the Association for advice and help. This support has been invaluable and given us peace of mind. It’s my goal now to pay it forward.
Q. What excites you about being appointed as Chair to our newly established Community Advisory Committee?
A. As Chair of the Community Advisory Committee, I am extremely excited and looking forward to the opportunity to meet and work with people with a shared passion. The Community Advisory Committee has so much positive energy – our aim is to harness this positive energy to increase awareness of HD, feedback to the Association and to generally do our bit to improve the lives of those affected by HD.
Q. What makes you laugh?
A. Other people laughing make me laugh! It’s infectious! As children my younger sister and I would lie awake at night and play the “laughing game” by taking it in turns to laugh – before long we would both be laughing our heads off and at risk of getting into trouble. When I hear about laughter therapy workshops now I remember those nights and just how good those out of control big belly laughs made us feel.
Q. What is your ideal Sunday?
A. My ideal Sunday starts by waking up without an alarm. That’s closely followed by a lazy coffee before heading to the beach either to swim some laps in the ocean pool or to walk our beloved pooch. My next favourite thing to do on a Sunday is to cook for family and friends. I love it when we set a table up in the garden under our persimmon tree to eat and spend some quality time together.
