Stronger Together
Watch Will Forte and his brother-in-law, Doug Modling, get honest about their HD
story and share what gives them hope and courage.
"Through Doug’s journey with Huntington’s, what seems to help the
most is that sense
of community."
- WILL FORTE
transcript
WILL: Hi.
DOUGLAS: What’s up, brother?
WILL: After you.
DOUGLAS: Thanks.
WILL: Huntington’s disease is a hereditary condition. The way that I have been told, which really registered with me, is that Huntington’s is like ALS and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. My brother-in-law Douglas has it. My father-in-law, Doug, passed away from it. So it’s something I know more about than I, than I wish I had to.
DOUGLAS: When I first got diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, my dad was dying at the same time, and that was the toughest time of my life.
WILL: To watch him have to watch his father go downhill, and to know like, oh, he’s basically looking at his future, having to see that, it was hard, really hard.
DOUGLAS: One of the symptoms of Huntington’s is chorea. The chorea is kind of like the motion part of Huntington’s, shaking or flailing or tapping. Going outside or walking my dogs, all that helps my chorea a little bit.
WILL: It’s a really nice time to hang out, brother-in-law to brother-in-law.
DOUGLAS: We also did that marathon one time.
WILL: Well we did a 5K that was part of a marathon weekend.
DOUGLAS: Marathon.
DOUGLAS: Will helped me a lot to kind of like take my mind off stuff, do anything other than think about what was kind of troubling me. I write a lot and I take a lot of notes. Sometimes it’s nice to write it down so you can talk to somebody about it.
WILL: It’s hard sometimes, but it brings y’all together closer and makes you realize the things that are the most important in life.
DOUGLAS: My nieces Zoe and Cece, they’re definitely my favorite people in the world. I love seeing them, I love hanging out with them. They just kind of like have put motivation in my life, put fire under me.
DOUGLAS: I started focusing on advocacy and awareness on HD because I wish I had someone that I could’ve talked to, to like, kind of explain to me that you have Huntington’s. You know, you don’t have to run from it. Now I can speak openly about it and help other people through the same thing.
WILL: Especially when he’s with other people who are affected by Huntington’s, he feels very supported and loves that community aspect. And so as family members, we’re part of that community too.
WILL: The reality of the situation is that we want Douglas to have as many experiences as he can. The only way that you can get through this is by living in the present, so we try to make the present as fun and adventurous as we can.
DOUGLAS: (sounds of beatboxing)
DOUGLAS: Thanks.
WILL and DOUGLAS: (Laughing)
"Through Doug’s journey with Huntington’s, what seems to help the
most is that sense
of community."
- WILL FORTE
For additional support with Huntington’s disease, visit the Living With HD
page to connect with an HD Patient Advocacy Group today.
Read more stories below
For additional support with Huntington’s disease, visit the Living With HD
page to connect with an HD Patient Advocacy Group today.
Read more stories below
