MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

ABSTRACT: Huntington’s disease is a genetic neurodegenerative disease that attacks the neurons in the brain. The disease is considered rare with about 30,000 Americans currently suffering from it. However, because Huntington’s disease is a genetic disease, Huntington’s disease affects much more than just the patient’s life. This guide is targeted towards individuals who are at risk for Huntington’s disease. Predictive genetic testing is option for individuals who have a family history of Huntington’s disease, and they can discover early if they will develop the disease as well. The decision to get predictive testing is a very difficult one for individuals as well as an emotional one. Not all at risk individuals would like to know that they will develop Huntington’s disease because no cure exists and catching the disease early will not prevent the disease from taking effect. However, some individuals would like to know in cases of what wanting to start a family and getting into a serious relationship. The knowledge helps better plan for the future. This decision is one hundred percent a personal one, and this guide provides factors to consider in helping make that decision as well as stories from other at risk individuals who decided for and against receiving predictive genetic testing.

WC= 206
READER'S PROFILE: I imagine a reader who feels as though I do not understand what they are going through and that making the decision to get genetic testing is not purely a logically one.

READER'S RESPONSE: Deciding to whether to get genetic testing is a very hard decision to make and one that is more emotionally than logically. It is hard to hear from someone who does not really know what I am going through try to present to me a guide on making that decision. However, it was helpful to hear from other at risk Huntington’s individuals as well as being provided with information on support groups. I think along with my emotional feelings, I will use the different points presented in the guide to help me decide on what is right for me.

MO -- be sure to use specific sources, including what other patients and their families chose to do. In some ways, those who live with the risk this disease are better poised as source than the peer reviewed literature alone.

Question: do any of the family members of Woody Guthrie talk about the testing decision?

What citation style will you use? APA formal or natural language/signal phrases?