My New Project Is Beginning

I'm starting a new website and a new blog dedicated to one very tailored subject -- finding the cure for CJD. Read and comment on the new blog.

I elude on the new blog to the fact that I have purchased the domain CURECJD.com. More to come on that later... Right now, I'll start with the blog. The plan right now is to post links to new info on who is finding the cure for CJD.

If you've read CJD Talk for a while, you know I come from a long line of genetic cases. How long, I am not sure. Since this is the Internet, I'm going to post some info right now I just hope someone will eventually find by Google search someday. I have tried to look online for relatives of Walter Zadzielka before and have come up empty. I did find a Vicki Lovett had posted something online somewhere years ago trying to find autopsy info on Walter Zadzielka...or is it Zadzeilka, or is it Zadel? I e-mailed her but the address no longer worked. Ms. Lovett, I have no info on Walter's autopsy. But he was my mother's uncle.

My mother came from a long line of Polish Catholics. Her family was huge and from Ohio. My mother used to tell me she had 100 cousins. There's a huge potential for many more genetic cases of CJD right there.

So if you happen upon this blog and you are related to anyone whose last name is Zadel, you may be a relative. If you are, the genetic mutation is E200K. That is the only autopsy info you would have gotten off of any Zadel autopsy. Feel free to get in touch with me, or you don't have to. It's personal; I understand.

CJD is a death sentence, but it shouldn't be. So since my deal in life is genetics I honestly don't care too much about the beef/vCJD side of things. It's horrible, yes. I'm not taking anything away from that. But I feel like I need to get a move on here if I want to see my own grandchildren someday. My mother died at age 56 and I'm 27 now, hence my extreme interest in focusing on the cure.

At the moment, the cure seems to be exploring something like PPS. It is no cure today in my opinion, but it's all we've got. There are other things being researched, and I'd like to make sure people know about those items too.

So now you know that finding the CURE for CJD is my interest and you also know why. Am I a carrier? I don't know. I won't get tested. Whether I carry it or not, the cure is still important to me. The cure is the only answer whether beef is in the equation or not. CJD is in the blood supply. It's not going away. And what if there is another wave? What if we can cure the animals first? What if we can only cure one mutation of CJD at first?

This is what the new blog will be about. Feedback welcome.

Mother's Day Sucks.

It's Mother's Day and I wish you a happy one, but let's face the truth here -- this is not a happy day for a lot of us who have lost a mother to CJD. I try to make the best of it by focusing on the living, especially because I have a wonderful stepmother and her mother is a wonderful grandmother to me. But we also have to remember the dead.

My mother's name was Phyllis Larson. She was a Led Zeppelin fan. My mother liked rock n' roll. I never did figure out if she was a democrat or a republican and maybe she didn't know either. I do suppose she was republican, but I'll never know for sure. One thing was for sure; my mother was cosmopolitan. She was not a woman that enjoyed anything less than room service. No camping for her. She liked shopping and her favorite place was Stanford Shopping Center. She was a Raider fan. I think she'd be happy with this year's first-round draft pick. She went to a Suns playoff game with me a few years ago when they played the Spurs. History is repeating with the Suns right now, in case you don't follow sports. I think mom would have enjoyed the Spots 620 KTAR nose bandaids everyone wore at the game the other day. Two of her favorite stores were Sephora and Ulta. She liked comfortable shoes. She liked Anderson Cooper on CNN and "Everybody Loves Raymond." Her vice was chocolate. She'd be happy to know I'll be in Mexico this year on the anniversary of her death, having fun with my new family. She'd be absolutely fascinated with you all and to know all about the disease that killed her. Thank you for visiting my blog about CJD. Please leave a comment to tell me about your mother when you get a chance. Thank you.

--Heather Larson

Will I Make The CJD Family Conference?

This one is still up in the air. There are a few question marks circling my head right now and as soon as they are answered, I will know if I am able to make the CJD Family Conference in July. It's just a month and a half away!

Get More Info on the CJD Family Conference