I just got home about 11:30pm this evening and my phone rang. It was Brooke Gray. It seems that Jaime had called her and started talking about suicide. Brooke tried to talk to her but Jaime hung up and wouldn’t answer Brooke’s repeated attempts to call back. Brooke wanted to know if I’d drive the three or four blocks to Jaime’s apartment and check on her.

When I got to Jaime’s and knocked on the door I heard movement inside and then a faint voice asking who was there. I said it was her conscience. She opened the door slightly, looked up at me, and then closed it quickly. I knocked again and told her that if she didn’t open the door I’d call the police. She opened the door again and stood there staring at me.

I asked her if she was scared or mad. She just started to cry and told me that she just didn’t care anymore. You see, Jaime has Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease, also called Huntington’s chorea, is a genetic neurological disorder characterized after onset by uncoordinated, jerky body movements and a decline in some mental abilities. These characteristics vary per individual, physical ones less so, but the differing decline in mental abilities can lead to a number of potential behavioral problems. The disorder itself isn’t fatal, but as symptoms progress, complications reducing life expectancy increase.

Jaime’s life expectancy is around 15 to 20 years. The death of someone suffering from Huntington’s disease is generally caused by complications; these include pneumonia (which causes one third of fatalities), heart failure (although heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and atherosclerosis show no increase), choking, malnutrition and physical injury. Suicide is an associated risk, with increased suicide rates of up to 7.3 percent, and attempted suicides of up to 27 percent.

That last information came from Wikipedia, could you tell? You are probably wondering why I wrote that out. It’s because I want you to realize the gravity of this young woman’s struggle. She’s had this disease for about 5 years and she’s looking at suffering through about 10 more years with it. It’s not pretty. It’s demeaning and dehumanizing. She’s tired of fighting and being afraid that if she falls asleep she’ll forget things that make her who she is. She’ll lose memories and motor-skills and be reduced to a vegetable.

That’s why I told her to get her toothbrush and pj’s and get in the truck. That’s why I brought her home with me. That’s why she is upstairs laughing and crying with my wife and my daughter, Emily. She didn’t need a lecture. Her life is hard enough. She needed some love and my family can give it to her.

So, it’s 12:22am and Jamie is upstairs with the girls and I’m down here with my laptop talking to you. Jaime needs love. I’m proud that my family can give her what she needs.

My wife and I made a promise to God when we bought this house. We promised that if He would help us get this house we would keep it open to everyone who needed a place or a family. We promised to keep it full of people. We plan on keeping that promise and it looks like He is taking full advantage of it.

Keep Jaime in your prayers. Pray for courage and perseverance. And pray that we can keep this house full of people just like her. We intend to keep our promise. Have you made a promise to God lately? You should try it. You will never be bored and your life will never be the same.