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Unproven drug therapy offers hope for woman with Huntington’s disease
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‘Why can’t we risk living?’ TEACHING EXCELLENCE
Neil CORBETT Abbotsford News
Andy Meinen of Abbotsford wants to get people thinking about this question: If Canadian law can be changed to allow a suffering person to have an assisted suicide, why can’t the law change to allow a person to take a drug that might save his or her life – even if that drug has not yet been approved for public use? His wife Hanna has been battling Huntington’s disease, which is steadily diminishing her brain function. There is currently no cure. Hanna, 39, is losing motor function, and becomes confused about where she is. “Living with Huntington’s is hell. You’re consumed by it,” Andy says. There has been a breakthrough. Researchers at the University of Alberta have developed a therapy that not only stops the disease, but reverses many of the effects – in mice. The problem is that the drug must first undergo clinical trials, and then be approved for human consumption – a process that typically takes seven to 10 years. Andy wants that fast-tracked. “We don’t have that time. The alternative is certain death, so why not?” Hanna knows what’s at stake. “She understands,” he said. “It has given her hope, whereas before she was suicidal. “If people are allowed to die, why can’t we risk living?” The couple has launched an awareness campaign, Hanna’s Ride for Life, Continued on A7
OCTOBER 11, 2012
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NEIL CORBETT Abbotsford News
Hanna Meinen wants to use a new therapy for Huntington’s disease before it passes through what could be a decade of clinical testing and bureacratic approvals. Her husband Andy is campaigning for changes in law to allow such access.
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