Seven years ago, James Del Carpio got news that changed his life. He found out Huntington’s Disease ran in his family.

“Obviously, it was a little bit shocking, especially when you know it's a hereditary disease and now your children have a 50/50 chance of inheriting it," said Del Carpio.

Huntington's Disease is a condition where nerve cells in the brain break down over time, affecting the body physically and mentally.

Del Carpio said he made the decision to get tested because the "not knowing" was hard and when his test results came back positive, it was a burden off his shoulders.

“But also being able to plan now and having an idea on how I want to proceed with my life," Del Carpio said.

James made drastic changes to his life. One of them was his decision to take up running. James is involved in the Huntington’s Disease Society of America and he has run marathons to raise money for the organization. He said on a personal level, running is his way of being in control.

“For me, with HD, at some point,it's going to have control over my mind and my body. I’m going to lose all control of what I can do. But for now, I control me. So that’s what my goal was, to cross that finish line and be able to say 'I did this.' To say I overcame this challenge and HD doesn't have me yet," Del Carpio said.

James encourages people to get involved with the Huntington's Disease Society of America if thats something of interest. Their annual walk is virtual this year and its coming up on October 25th. You can find more information on their website.