When Gabby McNary, 25, saw the coronavirus begin to take hold in the Philadelphia region, she immediately knew that she had to take it seriously. McNary, who lives just outside the city, tested positive for Huntingtons disease, a rare, inherited disorder that causes progressive nerve cell breakdown in the brain, in 2015.
Although McNary does not yet show symptoms of Huntingtons, she knows that if she were to get sick from COVID-19, the effect could be extremely serious.
Im trying not to dwell on it because life is short, McNary said. But it is the most isolating thing when we cant go to a friends house, or see our family.
For young adults with chronic illnesses and rare diseases, it can be frustrating to see their peers ignore public health recommendations and gather with friends at parties, bars, and beaches. Crowds of young people have caused many of the new cases across the country in the Philadelphia region, people ages 19 to 24 now account for 17% of new cases, up from 5% in April, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
I cant even wrap my head around the younger crowd thats partying and not listening to guidelines, McNary said. Its incredibly disheartening to hear people say that this could be a media ploy.
More at the jump:
https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/young-adult-rare-disease-chronic-illness-covid-20200722.html