Genetic Mapping

@patgalca (18180)
Orangeville, Ontario
April 27, 2013 2:50pm CST
Recently my cousin passed away a month before her 57th birthday. My brother passed away 9 years ago a few days before his 57th birthday. My father's side of the family was riddled with diabetes and heart disease. My father, though did everything right to keep himself healthy, he was diagnosed with mild diabetes in his later years (age 70+). He died of a massive stroke at the age of 82. All this has been devastating. I worry about what my genetics has in store for my daughters and myself. My 20 year old is a little on the chunky side. Something I hope she will work on now that she has graduated from college and back home ready to get back to Taekwondo. I also have no idea about the health history of her biological father. I think his mother had psychiatric issues and I don't know if he even knew his father. My 17 year old, fortunately, is a fitness nut. She is an athlete supreme and hopes to be a gym teacher. So I don't have to worry about her so much. I did a little bit of research here on genetic mapping wherein you can find if an individual carries a gene that makes susceptible to acquiring a certain illness like diabetes, alzheimer's, psychiatric illness. Unfortunately what I learned that it is not something covered by government health care. I doubt our company health insurance would cover it either. I told my husband we just have to live as healthy as possible to prevent and not wait until we have health problems. What about you? Have you been concerned about your chances of inheriting an illness? Or your children? So many young deaths in our family and I am scared for myself and my girls.
2 responses
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
29 Apr 13
From my dad's side of the family, they have hypertension and kidney problems. From my mom's side of the family, they have diabetes and hypertension, too. Now my dad has diabetes and so is my mom with hypertension.I am 41 and I have no ailments like them. But my husband has kidney stones since he was 20 and it was a common ailment on his side of the family. My kids, too are on the chunkier side. And I would often tell them to really learn to minimize their food intake and also to not eat food that would not help them in any way. I fear for their health, too. So, I try to give them food cooked in the house and not to indulge on fast food.
@patgalca (18180)
• Orangeville, Ontario
29 Apr 13
My daughters are 20 and soon-to-be 17. I have little control over what they eat because they are rarely home. They do eat out a lot but the one is an exercise fanatic for which I am thankful. I can only hope my oldest daughter gets her act together. She has just started a new job and that means being busy and eating less so hopefully she'll lose some of that weight she has gained.
@stk40m (1119)
• Koeln, Germany
27 Apr 13
a famous man once said: ''it doesn't matter how long our life will be but what we make of it.'' I believe it was someone on Star Trek but he was right genetic disorders/ deficiencies wouldn't be such a problem if society didn't treat it with discrimination, either in regard to non-paying health insurances or in regard to other people whose principle of life is survival of the fittest. Genetic disorders that cause a lot of pain or difficulties for relatives who have to care for the respective person is very hard though. So if we know that there's a high chance that our children would be suffering due to genetic disorders we should consider not to multiply. But in the end it's everyone's choice. Some disorders - like diabetes or other illnesses - which may or may not occur at a later point in life can possibly be avoided by a healthy lifestyle or at least postponed. We all have to die after all and dying is never nice more on topic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_disorder