"Uncovering hope to extend the lives of our youth"

   IMANA K FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER:  YES It's time to eat some pizza and things!!! "California Pizza Kitchen is supporting the fight" !!!  Thursday May 13, 2010 all day.  @ 6121 W. Park Blvd. Plano, Texas 75093            HELP RAISE MONEY FOR A GREAT CAUSE !

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Thanks to all who came out to support the Bake Sale on Saturday ( Dec 12th) we raised close to 600.00!   Great Job!

Bill Johnston and Dr. Leslie Thompson gave a great interview on HD on the Signonsandiego.com website. Please click here to listen: http://media.signonsandiego.com/general/media/audio/utc-20090508-a.mp3.

July 23 2009

                                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 


   A MOTHER’S LOVE TO SAVE HER CHILD (3 THINGS YOU MUST RECOGNIZE)   A career mother of five, struggled to support her children on her own, battled with doctors for 2 ½ years trying to get a proper diagnosis for her youngest daughter; noticing abnormal movements, changes in behavior and speech, after the life changing separation from her father.   Imana, the daughter of national recording artist Gayla started showing signs of regression just after her mother separated from the father. At age 4, her habits began to change and her development slowed. Her movements became rigid and her speech slurred. These were signs to her mother that something more was wrong. Imana was a well developed child up until that point.  Gayla did what any mother would do. She went from doctor to doctor seeking answers and was frequently misguided. Gayla was advised to go to a psychiatrist and/or therapist several times, but no clear diagnosis was given.  After a year and a half, doctors recognized a need to refer Imana to a neurologist, but Gayla was turned away again. A year later, Gayla’s struggle came to an end in April 2008 when Imana was finally tested and diagnosed with Huntington’s chorea in May, and later diagnosed with Epilepsy in September of 2008.     “I no longer have to carry the burden I carried for 2 ½ years of not knowing what was wrong with my child” Gayla said. “Knowing what measures to take to help cope with her challenges, the medications, nutrition and exercises; most important the mental and emotional support she needs”. “I only wish I had more knowledge of this disease 2 ½ years ago, then maybe some of our suffering could have been avoided.” "The Imana K Youth Huntington’s Disease Foundation” will be established in Dallas, TX. The Imana K foundation is a public not for profit charity. Our Mission: To enrich the lives of youth and their families affected by neurological diseases; by furthering awareness, primarily Huntington’s disease, initiating and driving funding programs to support testing for early detection and hopes to find a cure.             For more info visit: www.imanakfoundation.org or you can contact us at 972-492-6948 or email us at info@imanakfoundation.org Contact: Lonnie C Culp Jr.                                                     Tel.: 972-492-6948
                                                                 Cell: 214-215-9046
                                                                 Email: lonnie@imanakfoundation.org   

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