This Father's Day was a special day for Mia Stollenwerk, she was the star of an event to honor her dad who died from Huntington's disease two years ago.  Mia also suffers from the effects of Huntington's and hopes to find a cure for this disease that leads to a progressive loss of mental abilitiies and physical control. 

At one time, this disease was thought to be rare, but is now considered one of the more common hereditary diseases.  Although Juvenile cases are still thought to be seen in only ten percent of the individuals affected, many cases may go undiagnosed. 

Miles for Mia was a wonderful event which promoted a mile long walk through the Myrick Park trails marked by pink flamingos. Upon completion of the walk each person received a button, bracelet, and one raffle ticket to drop in a bucket of a prize of their choice.  Lovely donations were on display to be won in a silent auction to the highest bidder and a video played featuring Mia at her prom.

Donations that were collected went to the Wisconsin Chapter of Huntington's Disease Society of America.  Patti Hall was the event planner and did an incredible job of making everyone feel welcome, she sang a beautiful song written when she awoke from a wonderful dream and performed it for Mia.  The song was written for and inspired by her relationship with Mia and it was beautiful! 

Face painting and balloon animals were seen on the faces of the children in attendance who were enjoying hot dogs and snow cones.  A magic show by Isaiah that entertained kids and adults was featured as well as music by Cheech and friends.  In the future, we can hope for more understanding and advocacy towards this disease and finding a cure.  For more information on promoting and supporting HD research, please visit the Huntington's Disease Society of America's website by clicking on this link.