Tena Koutou Tena Koutou Tena Koutou kotoa.
Greetings greetings greetings to all from what some might seem is the furthest or remotest part of the world. Aotearoa- New Zealand. Down here we are located next to our 'west island' otherwise known as Australia where a small grouping of islands very deep in the south pacific,
are the world's best kept secret; famous for our national rugby team the All Blacks and the famous haka Ka mate (to death which is the challenge that is laid down when they take on opposition. It is a symbol for me of kia kaha - being or standing strong when facing challenges. For me right now it's about journeying with and facing head on the challenge of accompanying my wife Julie of 24 years on the end of her journey and that includes Huntington's Disease. Not something we could have ever planned for to be part of our lives or were aware was lurking and waiting to fully make an appearance from stage left.
.
We are also know as Kiwis - after the native flightless endangered bird the Kiwi. and the fruit is named after us cause we are world exporters.
I want to introduce myself. My name is Hēmi (James) and my wife Julie was diagnosed in December 2020 with Huntington's Disease. I am using the WeHaveAFace Global News to keep you regularly updated of some of the challenges that we face and some of the solutions that we have found to resolve issues. We are also delighted, if you had noticed, to announce that Julie and I are the new faces of the latest addition to WeHaveAFace global hubs, WeHaveAFace Aotearoa.
Julie and I on Christmas vacation
We were thrilled through to respond to the invitation of James (USA) and Kevin(Canada) to put on our faces down here in the South Pacific and I'm really excited about the opportunities that we will have to impact other people's lives and to network and to provide quality and awesome perspectives, frameworks, and training information to people whose lives are impacted by Huntington's disease.
I'm really excited to be able to download from my heart and spirit (wairua) these musings and reflections. The bonus is that although I can touch type I'm able to use a free voice recognition software that was downloaded for my wife to use to complete a memoir. This means you will probably most likely hear of me more frequently because I'm able to dictate the thoughts and words that come out of my head instead of having to pound the morning out on the keyboard.
I will round off this first post by greeting you well once again and looking forward to sharing with you and as my wife Julie has come to say I may have Huntington's Disease by HD does not define me.
Yours Undefined
H & J