230KM for Brad Carmichael

Hi, my name is Katie Mahoney, and on June 5th, I’m headed to Peru to run a 230km race throughout the Amazon jungle to raise money to fulfill a wish for Brad Carmichael. I want to acknowledge and give back to someone I genuinely look up to, particularly for their strength, perseverance, and despite all obstacles, their unwavering ability to not complain about the everyday challenges they face that far surpass any 230km run. Brad is 29, from Halifax, NS, currently living with a terminal illness called Huntington Disease. Brad's desire has always been to travel Europe with his family, and I need your help to make this happen!

Here is how you can help!

I can’t give Brad a cure, but what I can do is try and give him an experience that he has always wanted but has always felt out of reach - a trip to Europe. Through my 230km journey, I'm asking 230 people to sponsor 1km of my race for $87. If I can get all 230km supported, then together, we will have raised enough money to send Brad on this once-in-a-lifetime trip with his family while there is still a window of opportunity to do so. Please consider joining me on my 230km run for Brad to raise awareness around Huntington's Disease and to give back to someone who is so incredibly deserving of this trip.

Brad’s Story:

For those who don’t know what HD is, you’re not alone. HD is a rare genetic illness that is passed from parent to child, if you don’t have an affected parent with HD, there is no way you can develop it. The Huntington’s Society of Canada describes HD as “…a hereditary, neurodegenerative illness with physical, cognitive and emotional symptoms”. Because Huntington's disease is a genetic disorder where the HD gene is dominant, each child of a parent with HD has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. Brad’s father, Steven Carmichael inherited the disease from his mother and developed symptoms around the age of 30. Males and females have the same risk of inheriting the disease, meaning Brad and his sister Brittany were both living at risk from the time they were born. For many people with HD, symptoms usually appear between the ages of 35 and 55, but the disease can appear in youth (under 20 years – Juvenile HD) or older adults (Late Onset HD). For Brad, the onset of symptoms straddled the border of juvenile HD and Adult HD, with symptoms beginning around age 20-21. What started as a few tics and clumsiness steadily grew into more pronounced involuntary movements (chorea), diminished coordination and difficulty walking, talking and swallowing. Brad is now 29 years old and has gone from being a strong and independent man who pushed his father’s wheelchair up steep ramps to now depending on a walker/wheelchair, stairlift in his home, and full support for his daily living activities. Brad also faces the cognitive symptoms of HD, such as difficulty planning, recall of information and making decisions. Other HD symptoms can include emotional symptoms such as depression, apathy, irritability, anxiety, and obsessive behavior. Thankfully, Brad has not been affected by the emotional symptoms and maintains a bright and positive outlook.

Although Brad struggles with losing the life he had planned for himself, he is known for being optimistic and saying things like, “Life is beautiful.” He says he still enjoys each day and appreciates the beauty of a drive on a sunny day. He calls bad coordination days “character-building days,” and each evening will be sure to tell his caretaker, his mother Peggy, just how much he appreciates and loves her for all she does to support him.

Brad graduated high school from Halifax West and was known for his athleticism and passion for sports. Brad is a dedicated sports fan and, before HD, played baseball from a very young age. He surfed, golfed, enjoyed floor hockey, flag football, and skied every winter. Brad was in the gym every day, always wanting to improve - “no excuses.” was, and still is, his tagline. He completed a degree his Public Relations at Mount St. Vincent and worked in the Canadian Military as combat engineer. He planned to travel, see the world, and had thoughts of joining the RCMP or continuing with his career in the Military. However, life had different plans for brad, and in 2014, shortly after the death of his father Steven, the family began to notice the all-too-familiar signs of HD in Brad. With his family’s support, Brad took a genetic test to determine if what they were seeing was HD. In the fall of 2018, shortly before he graduated from MSVU, everyone’s worst fear came true; Brad had inherited the gene for HD and was in the beginning stages of the disease. Shortly thereafter, Brad was medically discharged from the Military, and in 2019, he gave up his driver's license. Since this time, Brad has steadily given up one passion or interest after another due to the symptoms of his disease. He can no longer engage in the physical sports he once enjoyed, he cannot take a drive (which was one of his favorite pastimes), and he cannot use the degree he worked so hard to complete.

In the fall of 2019, he took part in a global research study to test the effectiveness of a new drug to slow the progression of HD. Brad saw this as purpose in his journey, as the research was promising, and the clinical trials were in phase three, meaning they had passed all safety trials and were now being looked at for effectiveness.

Sadly, just this past spring, the trial was canceled due to insufficient evidence of efficacy; the drug was not showing the promising results researchers had hoped. With this devastating news and the limitations placed on Brad by the pandemic and his disease, this past year has been very difficult and isolating for him.

Despite his absolute best efforts to see the silver lining, the reality of HD is that it will continue to take his ability to engage in life and make simple acts, such as speaking or swallowing, impossible. Without treatment or a cure, Brad will slowly succumb to his condition, just as his father and grandmother before him, as HD is a terminal illness.

Yet, Brad’s sense of purpose prevails; he is truly set apart with an infectious smile, big personality, and kindness. To know Brad is to know optimism, bravery, and steadfast hope for a cure. Brad is someone who has every reason to give up but continues to show up every day, to take an interest in the small things he can still enjoy and is a pillar of support and encouragement to his family and friends.