Huntington's disease leads to restaurant ban

9:16am Thursday 10th July 2008

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A Battersea woman with the degenerative disease Huntington's has been told not to return to her favourite restaurant because her condition is putting off the customers.

Catherine Blow, 47, has eaten at Portuguese restaurant Galo D'Ouro in Queenstown Road almost every day for two and half years.

“Many people do not want to see sick people. The public do not want to see the darker sides of life. That sort of attitude leaves people like Catherine utterly isolated.”

But last week the owner asked someone to pass on the message that she should stay away.

Miss Blow, whose disease means she has difficulty speaking, said she is "very upset" by the request.

Friends are concerned that she has lost a lifeline.

Neighbour Mary Fane-Gladwin said: "She rang me in tears. It made me so angry. She's spent so much money there. She's a very courageous girl who wants to be part of the community."

Miss Blow, who inherited the progressive disease from her father, has suffered from Huntington's for 10 years.

The cousin of fashion designer Selina Blow, friends describe Catherine as a "brilliant" painter with a BA and MA from prestigious art insitutions before the disease took hold.

She now has great trouble controlling her movements.

Fransisco Conde, who owns Galo D'Ouro, said he was forced into his decision because Miss Blow's appearance and physical condition was driving away customers, with some even leaving the restaurant when she arrived.

Because she was losing control over her body, he said, her clothes did not always stay up.

"I feel really sorry for her but I have to look at my situation as well," he said.

"I can't sleep at night because of worries about my business. I will cook takeaway for her. I like her but I can't accept her here."

Her cousin Amaury described it as a "very sad situation" and said he did not blame anyone for what had happened.

"Catherine is a wonderful person who has through no fault of her own inherited this illness, but unfortunately this has consquences not only for her but for the restaurant. The owner has done his best for her," he said.

"Many people do not want to see sick people. The public do not want to see the darker sides of life. That sort of attitude leaves people like Catherine utterly isolated."

Huntington's Disease

• Huntington's disease is a progressive neuro-psychiatirc disorder.
  
• It is heriditary
  
• Every child born to a parent carrying the Huntington's gene has a 50 per cent risk of inheriting it.
  
• The disease affects males and females equally.
  
• The onset of symtoms is usually between the ages of 30 and 55, although there is a juvenile form of the illness and people have been known to develop it later in life.
  
• There are 6,000-10,000 sufferers in the UK.
  
• The disease causes a steady decline of people's physical, emotional and cognitive skills n There is no cure, but the Huntington's Disease Association offers regional care advisers who can provide support