Our guest speakers were Dr Malvindar Singh-Bain and Leanne Knox
Malvindar was Dux and Head girl of Waitakere College, is a self-confessed westie, a former attendee of the Rotary National Science and Technology forum in 2005 and twice a finalist in the young NZer if the year awards for her research and charitable work on Huntingdon's disease and is now a post-doctoral research fellow working in the University of Auckland Centre for brain research undertaken postdoctoral research into Huntington's disease and Alzhiemers disease.
Malvindar gave us an introduction to Huntington's disease what it is and how it affects individuals.
In summary the disease is an inherited neurological disorder caused by an expanded gene in an individual's DNA. Everybody has the gene but people with the condition have a longer version of the gene the expansion of which causes it not work properly and results in the disease manifesting itself It is a disease that affects the progress of breakdown of nerve cells in brain with a broad impact on an individual's functional abilities resulting in movement thinking (cognitive) and psychiatric disorders.
Malvindar spends a lot of time looking through microscopes brain cells establish how the genetic make up of cells of a supper of hunting disease works in an effort to identify a cure. Malvinder expects what confidently to identify a cure although when is the big question.
In 2013 Malvindar formed a Huntington's disease youth organisation of New Zealand which is a charity dedicated to providing support to youth in New Zealand who are impacted by the disease. She is the co-chair of the organisation and has been actively involved in fundraising and undertaking Huntingtons disease awareness promotions
Malvindars address segued into Leanne's address.
Lee-Anne spoke to the issues that young people experience when their parents are themselves sufferers of Huntington's disease. These issues arise as children of someone who suffers from hunting disease are at real risk of suffering the disease themselves.
In Lee-Anne's case three members of her family have died from the disease. She and her sister are not carriers of the mutated gene that causes the disease. Lee-Anne told us that the process of establishing whether or not an individual is susceptible to the disease is a long involved process including psychological tests to assess whether the particular individual can deal appropriately with the advice that they either have the genetic mutation and will suffer the disease or that they do not have the mutation and will not experience.
Once psychological testing is complete blood test cases and transmitted to Australia for testing. 
Once the test results are received they are checked and ultimately results advised to the individual stop if it is a positive test all you can do is keep working and going forward hoping that someone like Malvindar will develop a cure for the disease. If the individual receives a negative test Lee-Anne told us there is an element of survivor's guilt in that individuals acknowledge that they have missed the bullet so speak there is a possibility that other members of the family will not have had that good fortune.
Lee-Anne is also involved in the Huntington's disease youth organisation stop the folks is getting you together to enable them to obtain information on the disease, support and empower those youth with a strong community support network as well as provide accessible information.
Malvindar and Lee-Anne were both extraordinary young women, and both were enthusiastic and knowledgeable speakers. If their past successes are anything to go by their futures will be stellar.
