Steve Smith has produced a CD for the HDA on sale now from Head Office - price £6.00 including UK p&p.
To order, download the order form on our books & merchandise page or call Head Office on 0151 298 3298.
Steve had the following to say about his CD.
"Woody Guthrie was always a great influence on my life, even before I knew it. I was a Bob Dylan fan from an early impressionable age, but I didn’t know how much Dylan and my other folk heroes owed to Woody.
I knew about Woody’s illness and how he’d spent his last days in a big state hospital in Brooklyn. But I didn’t know the condition he had was called Huntington’s disease (HD), or that it was hereditary, with every child of an affected person at a 50% risk of developing it some time in life, usually between say, 35-50. It’s a condition that is marked by a movement disorder, or ‘chorea’… dance - like involuntary movement. HD causes cognitive decline and there are often psychiatric problems.
The songs are true, though in some cases they might be inspired first by one particular individual or family, and then changed to protect identity and to include some aspects inspired by some other people. I haven’t got a good imagination for song writing- I just put down stories as I experienced them or as someone I have nursed or their loved ones told me. It has been a real privilege working with people with HD, and getting to know their families and friends.
I hope you like the songs, and I hope I get to meet you some day, maybe at an HD family conference! Those gatherings are a bonding experience; you realise you’re not alone with your experiences, and you learn a lot about the latest research etc. And it’s kind of therapeutic to sing together!
Because these stories are from real people, for families affected by HD, and nurses and other care providers, there is an opportunity to share an experience you know already. For people who haven’t any experience or knowledge of the condition and how it can impact on a family, this is a chance to get to understand."
