Julie Lawson Timmer: A powerful addition to the campaign team 
As a novelist and chair of the Believe campaign’s advisory cabinet, Julie Lawson Timmer is raising awareness about the gut-wrenching challenges that come with HD. Until recently, Huntington disease (HD) was uncharted territory for the Michigan-based author. Julie has no connection to the disease and knew almost nothing about it until she did a little “googling” for her first novel, Five Days Left. The more she learned about it, the more determined she was to portray the disease as accurately as possible. This led to countless hours of research and meetings with doctors and other experts in the field.
“I didn’t want to parachute into the Huntington’s community and steal a few symptoms that were sexy for a novel and then leave,” says Julie. “I decided I had to get it right.” The hard work paid off. Five Days Left is a compelling page-turner – the story of a successful lawyer named Mara wrestling with saying goodbye to loved ones as her HD progresses. Heartfelt and real, it paints a very personal picture of what living with HD can be like. Critics agree. As a review from the Library Journal put it, “Timmer’s debut novel packs a powerful punch. Absorbing, deeply affecting, and ultimately uplifting, it heralds the arrival of an author to watch.”
As buzz for the critically acclaimed novel grows, it’s also proving to be a great opportunity to introduce the uninitiated to the world of HD. “I went to a book club in Michigan,” Julie recounts. “And so many people had said, ‘wow, I didn’t know anything about Huntington and now I feel like I know so much more.’” Although Five Days Left has done much to raise the profile of HD, Julie wanted to do more. She added links to her website, encouraging readers to donate to HSC and the Huntington Disease Society of America. And when we asked Julie if she wanted to get involved with our Believe campaign, we received an enthusiastic “yes” in response. “There are not enough people in the Huntington’s community to raise all the money needed to fund the research,” she says. “We have to get awareness out.” She believes that if we can help more people understand what this disease is all about, they’ll reach into their pockets to support crucial research. We are so happy that, as head of the Believe advisory cabinet, Julie is helping us make that happen by creating awareness and increasing understanding of the disease.
To get your hands on a copy of Five Days Left and to learn more about Julie’s second novel, Untethered, visit www.julielawsontimmer.com. Want to meet the author in person? Julie will be at this year’s National Conference in Halifax, facilitating a panel discussion on physician-assisted dying. To learn more about this year’s conference and to register, click here.