I want to tell you a short story of my struggle's and fears I faced of dieing from Huntington's disease. Those of you who have never heard of Huntington's disease, it is considered the most devastating disease known to mankind.
I am from Indiana, living in Tennessee I grew up here and in the summer went to visit my Daddy in Indiana he was the apple of my eye, when I grew older I traveled all over the united states singing. I have sang my whole life, I have played the guitar from the age of twelve I play" not great" never taken lessons, I would rather hold a mic and sing, started playing the piano at the age of fifteen by ear. I wrote my first song a fifteen or sixteen. Then in my early teens I was in a gospel band until I was about twenty. I have had the privilege of singing with many great singers through out the years doing harmonies, such as BB King, Tanya Tucker, Johnny Rivers, Dr Hook, Billy Mac, and others while singing in Biloxi Mississippi, I was lucky enough to come in first place on the Charlie Daniels round- up show in 1995, and won the CMA "country music association up coming talent in 1996, in Gatlinburg TN, my love is singing harmony in groups, I started sing harmony at he age of eleven it just came naturally and I love it most of all, there are times I could sing all night when it comes to singing in a group, lead or harmony as long as I'm singing it gives me great pleasure.
My father died in 2002 from this terrible disease also called the devils disease. My Dad was adopted so therefore it is unknown where this curse comes from. I have two sister's living with Huntington's today; I lost one just this last New Years Day 2007, she was only twenty-eight. I have written a song in remembrance of my father you can hear it when you log onto my web-page you may not understand the meaning of the words I have written, however the view I perceive is seeing my Daddy when I am walking in heaven longing to see him again. I am hoping to one day be a singer, speaker of the "HUNTINGTON'S HUNT FOR A CURE FOUNDATION." This is a genetic disease and how my sisters inherited this disease. For nine years I lived in sheer terror of dying myself of Huntington's I would lie awake night after night in fear of facing the unknown. Actually I knew had it, and there was no way out. I envisioned myself already having this disease; therefore I thought the only way out was to die. So I planned my death. I just couldn't live knowing how I would end up, and I didn't want it to end like my Daddy did. I had seen his suffering and I see my sister's today. I would lay awake at night crying out to God Why? Why is our lives cursed? When I went to my Daddy's funeral this was one of the worst of all funerals I cannot go into detail without falling into hysterics I thought this is it I cannot take any more God! And when I was driving all alone I screamed as hard as I could crying and sobbing asking God WHY? I couldn't find an answer; I could just see death all around me. I knew my time was coming, I didn't understand because I thought to myself, God I have trusted you all these years, you have given me this calling on my life and I just don't understand. I want to sing, I live and breathe to sing for you and give my whole life to you, and I need an answer. I was hungry in my heart to sing and work in a Ministry to help other's so week's later with the help of my family I went to have the Huntington's test. Waiting for the results was sheer terror I didn't know what would come of it. Night after night waiting I would pray and I would cry, I cried for my Daddy, I cried for my sister's and I cried for my life. During this time God gave me a dream and in this dream I seen an old man with white hair calling me to come up these high stairs to safety. I was being chased bye the death angel a huge dark being with huge wings flying right over the top of me, when I woke up I had Psalms 91 in my Bible this has kept me through the worst of times. So about two weeks later I got a call, it was my doctor, he said Joennen" I want to tell you I just right this moment received the results and called you immediately, you do not carry the Huntington's gene, you do not have Huntington's disease. I began to scream and thank God over and over again. I am here to tell you God has called me to encourage other people, and to say he will give us the strength we need to walk this road he has chosen for us to walk. He has given us the power of choice, we can to give up or we can choose to live to help someone else. God has given me the gift of life and the gift of singing I will do his calling on my life. Why? Because I choose too! Love & Blessings to you all with my love~ Joennen
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