{"id":5506,"date":"2025-09-24T15:49:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T15:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=5506"},"modified":"2025-09-24T21:33:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T21:33:44","slug":"i-have-no-memory-of-stabbing-myself-huntingtons-disease-made-me-do-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/24\/i-have-no-memory-of-stabbing-myself-huntingtons-disease-made-me-do-it\/","title":{"rendered":"I have no memory of stabbing myself \u2013 Huntington\u2019s Disease made me do it"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I was diagnosed with Huntington\u2019s Disease back in 2014, aged 23 (Picture: Charlotte Hewitt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stepping out of the dentist after a routine check-up, I headed to the bus stop with my then-partner.<\/p>\n

It\u2019d been a good day – a normal one, nothing exciting, and I was looking forward to chilling at home with him and my son, Mason. <\/p>\n

In a week and a half\u2019s time, we were going on holiday, and I couldn\u2019t wait – it\u2019d been a tough few years.<\/p>\n

That was the last thing I remember back in June: Standing and waiting for my bus.<\/p>\n

Then, I woke up in a hospital bed six days later.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been in a coma after stabbing myself – and I didn\u2019t remember any of it.<\/p>\n

I was diagnosed with Huntington\u2019s Disease back in 2014, aged 23. <\/p>\n

My dad told me he had the disease and that it was genetic. My grandfather and aunties had it, too.<\/p>\n

He told me to get tested, and I was positive.<\/p>\n

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It can cause depression, and spark psychiatric disorders like psychosis, too (Picture: Charlotte Hewitt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is Huntington’s Disease?<\/h2>\n

I knew very little about it up until that point, but as I researched, I found out that Huntington\u2019s is a rare, progressive disease that is inherited.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s when the nerves in your brain<\/a> start to break down and degenerate, stopping the organ from working properly over time. As a result, it causes an impact on your speech, behaviour, and movement.<\/p>\n

It can cause depression<\/a>, and spark psychiatric disorders like psychosis, too.<\/p>\n

Symptoms usually start between the ages of 30 and 50, and get worse over time, with many people dying within 20 years of getting them.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tGood news\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Doctors say that they have successfully treated Huntington’s Disease for the first time.<\/p>\n

Data from their research shows that they managed to slow the disease by 75% in patients. <\/p>\n

The treatment comes in the form of gene therapy during a long – up to 18-hour – brain surgery.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

At first, life carried on as normal, but about four or five years after my diagnosis, I started to get symptoms. <\/p>\n

I began to stumble and experience involuntary movements. My arms would twitch, my legs would give way. <\/p>\n

I started to forget things – like hospital appointments, or turning the heating and oven off.<\/p>\n

I once even left the dog at the park. <\/p>\n

I was starting to feel angry and depressed. In 2022, I started having outbursts of aggression from nowhere, sometimes in public.<\/p>\n

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I\u00a0struggled\u00a0to relate to anyone (Picture: Charlotte Hewitt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019d have serious highs and even worse lows, for no real reason.<\/p>\n

Friends and even strangers would think I was drunk, tell me I was crazy, getting lairy and stumbling around – but it was just another flare-up. <\/p>\n

It frustrated me more that they didn\u2019t understand the seriousness of my illness.<\/p>\n

I seemed to get agitated on the phone<\/a>, and couldn\u2019t take things in or absorb conversation. I struggled to relate to anyone.<\/p>\n

I started losing sense of time and having blackouts. I couldn\u2019t remember what had happened, if I\u2019d said something I shouldn’t have to someone. If I\u2019d been aggressive.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tSupport Charlotte's fundraising efforts\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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You can support Charlotte’s fundraiser for the air ambulance here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Over time, I became afraid to leave the house – ashamed, scared, and embarrassed of having an outburst.<\/p>\n

Nobody around me seemed to understand that it wasn\u2019t my fault, or that I didn\u2019t know what was happening.<\/p>\n

I had to quit work as a cleaner, as I was classed as a liability to the public. I ended up seeking more help from the doctor, with check-ups every six months. But they could only monitor me.<\/p>\n

There is no cure for Huntington\u2019s Disease. <\/p>\n

\n
Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Have you been impacted by Huntington’s? Have your say in the comments below<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Sometimes, it felt like I didn\u2019t know myself at all. It scared me.<\/p>\n<p>My partner had never even heard of Huntingdon\u2019s before he met me – soon, he became almost like a carer to me. Keeping an eye on my movements and behaviour, soothing me when I was down.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I felt sorry for him, having to deal with my unpredictable behaviour.<\/p>\n<p>On the day when I hurt myself, I don\u2019t remember anything. My partner said I went into a trance-like state. <\/p>\n<p>Back at home, apparently, I looked at my phone, went to the kitchen, and picked up a knife. Before my partner realised what was happening, I\u2019d stabbed myself in the stomach. Thankfully, Mason wasn\u2019t there at the time. <\/p>\n<p>I needed three operations, and doctors managed to save a quarter of my bowel. I was cut open from my breast bone to pubic bone, so recovery has been a long, slow process. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"485\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_175407251-a4bf.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-19636453\" alt=\"Charlotte Hewitt: Huntington's made me stab myself\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>At home, apparently, I looked at my phone, went to the kitchen, and picked up a knife (Picture: Charlotte Hewitt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I was lucky to be alive, but terrified. I\u2019d never done anything like that before. I still can\u2019t believe it happened now. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m haunted by thoughts of what would have happened\u00a0if my partner wasn’t there.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/doctors\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">Doctors<\/a> have confirmed I\u2019m suffering from psychosis and have prescribed medication. I also take medication for the likes of depression and <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/anxiety\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">anxiety<\/a>, but there\u2019s nothing I can do or take to slow down this disease.<\/p>\n<p>Mason is too young to understand – he knows I have Huntington\u2019s, but we\u2019ve kept the seriousness of my condition from him for now. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a conversation we will need to have one day, though.<\/p>\n<p>In November 2023, I walked 22 miles – from my home in Egremont to Keswick with\u00a0Mason, and our dog for The Huntington\u2019s Disease Association.<\/p>\n<p>It was Mason\u2019s idea, and there was a big group of people who joined us, too. I\u2019ve been so touched by their kindness.<\/p>\n<p>I live a reclusive life – it works for me – but I\u2019ll dedicate what I have left of it to raising awareness of this disease. <\/p>\n<p>Even if it scares me.<\/p>\n<p><em>As told to Emmie Harrison-West<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article was originally published October 15, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:jess.austin@metro.co.uk\">jess.austin@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><\/p>\n<p><title>Comment now<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was diagnosed with Huntington\u2019s Disease back in 2014, aged 23 (Picture: Charlotte Hewitt) Stepping out of the dentist after a routine check-up, I headed to the bus stop with my then-partner. It\u2019d been a good day – a normal one, nothing exciting, and I was looking forward to chilling at home with him and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5506"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5506"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5513,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5506\/revisions\/5513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}