Welcome !

It wasn't until I started recording all my family's medical
information in birth order, in our Family History Registry, that I
realized the majority of the diseases in our
family were inherited / hereditary.

I recently received some new family information, that was really
very old information.. I found that my Grandfather's Mother
and some of his Brothers and Sisters, had died from one
form of cancer or another...

It was while reviewing and adding this new found family information
into my registry, that I realized, this latest family information was
actually the oldest information I had. It's forty to seventy
years old, and I received it last, instead of first !

It wasn't until I put it all in birth order that it really hit me ! !
I realized the difference this old family information could have made
for my family. If we would have only known about it, 17 years ago
or even 6 years ago, the difference it could have made !!

If someone would have only recorded / registered that two different
generations had already passed away from cancer related diseases,
then we would have realized those diseases were
indeed inherited / hereditary....

It took me writing it all down on paper in birth order, to see that
cancer had been in our family for at least four generations.

The fact is, cancer is on both sides of my family, going back three
generations on one side, and four generations on the other side !
It's obvious, that it's coming down the line to my
children and our future generations...

Now, more that ever I have to get all the medical information
I can on my family and our ancestors !

The following is an overview of my family's medical history.

Medical information registered by dates.

The asterisk symbol * means it's inherited / hereditary disease

 

Compare the differences the newest oldest information would have made ! This is the short version and the long version follows..
OLD INFORMATION		NEW INFORMATION
		1932 GRT GrdMother,Father's side cancer.	* *
		1941 GRT Uncle, Father's side cancer.	* *
		1948 GRT Aunt, Father's side cancer.	* *
1942 GrdMother, Mother's side menstruate thru / preg.	* *	1942 GrdMother, Mother's side menstruate thru / preg.	* *
1968 Father, sister & self eczema.	* *	1968 Father, sister & self eczema.	* *
1970 Uncle, Mother's side. Cousin's with eczema.	* *	1970 Uncle, Mother's side. Cousin's with eczema.	* *
1974 Self. menstruate thru / preg.	* *	1974 Self. menstruate thru / preg.	* *
1979 Self Cervical cancer.	* *	1979 Self Cervical cancer.	* *
1982 GrdFather, Father's side. Prostate cancer.	* *	1982 GrdFather, Father's side. Prostate cancer.	* *
1986 Self. psoriasis.	* *	1986 Self. psoriasis.	* *
1987 GrdMother, Mother's side. emphysema.	* *	1987 GrdMother, Mother's side. emphysema.	* *
1994 GrdMother, Father's side. mini strokes.		1994 GrdMother, Father's side. mini strokes.
1996 Father. colon cancer.	* *	1996 Father. colon cancer.	* *
1996 Self. Border-line Diabetic	* *	1996 Self. Border-line Diabetic	* *
1996 Self. rosacea.	* *	1996 Self. rosacea.	* *
1996 Self. fibromyalgia.	* *	1996 Self. fibromyalgia.	* *
1996 GrdMother, Father's side. dementia.		1996 GrdMother, Father's side. dementia.
1997 GrdMother, Father's side. Heart stopping, Pacemaker.		1997 GrdMother, Father's side. Heart stopping, Pacemaker.
1998 GrdMother, Father's side. Died, from a stroke.		1998 GrdMother, Father's side. Died, from a stroke.
2000 Self. .2 Ct nodule in R-Lung.		2000 Self. .2 Ct nodule in R-Lung.
2000 Grt Uncle, Mother's side. cancer.	* *	2000 Grt Uncle, Mother's side. cancer.	* *

The last ( 3 ) three generations of males, are all similar in shape and size.
My son, appears to be the perfect candidate for the same illness /
disease that my Grandfather, my Father and I, suffered ( cancer ) !

The one and only difference is, my son has the information about our
family history. He has prepared himself, he's made the effort to
prolong his life by eating healthier, exercising and not smoking.
And getting checked on a regular basis. He has a choice,
because he now has the knowledge.

As much as I'd like to blame this all on our genes, the hereditary
factor I can't .... But it does play a very large part in it...

We all need to start somewhere. We need to know what to watch out
for, we need to prepare for the possibilities and hopefully
prevent the diseases from occurring. If we can't stop
the diseases, then we can surly catch them early enough,
' if ' we have the knowledge ! !

I believe that any and all information we can pass down to our
children about past health problems will make a world of
difference to our families and future generations ...

A Family Registry, is a step in the right direction towards preventing
early health problems, or untimely deaths ! ! How important is it to
you, to protect your loved ones to the best of your ability ?

So many deaths could have been prevented, had the person known about
their ancestors illnesses and diseases. With simple testing on a
regular basis. Why take that chance with your life !

Statistics

Empower yourself with knowledge !!!

What you DON'T know, and what you CAN'T see...... CAN HURT YOU !!!

I don't want anyone to go through what my family and I have gone
through with these hereditary diseases ..

In 1942	My Grandmother, on my mother's side discovered with her first pregnancy that she continued to menstruate throughout all eight of her pregnancies. This is a rare condition...
In 1968	Both my sister and I were diagnosed with having a skin condition called eczema. We recall as children, being in the doctors office and being put under heat lights many different times because the skin condition would get so out of control. Even as adults, we are still dealing with eczema. Our Father has this same skin condition.
In 1970	I remember my Uncle, on my mother's side, his children, my cousins having the same skin condition only it was worse and on different areas on their bodies.
In 1974	While carrying my first child, the doctors found I had a rather rare condition called Menstrocycle pregnancy. It wasn't until I was pregnant that it was discovered. I continue to menstruate throughout my pregnancies. This automatically put me into a high risk pregnancy status. Which means more doctors visits, more tests and more money ! !
In 1979	At the age of 20, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I was given six months to live. I was devastated and worried about who would take care of my son, MATTHEW, who was only 5 years old at the time. In an attempt: to stop the cancer, the doctors removed the end of my cervix, which left it open, thereby, leaving me unable to carry children. At about 8 to 12 weeks into my pregnancies, I would miscarry. Cerclage, a procedure to close the cervix, was available, but this required taking a pregnancy test at the first missed period. This proved to be impossible, as my periods did not stop when I was pregnant. I was told that this was a rare disorder. I found out years later that my Grandmother on my mother's side, also had this disorder, which led to my belief in inherited / hereditary diseases. After 12 more pregnancies, my miracle baby, "JESSICA", now 17, was born !
In 1982	Doctors diagnosed my Grandfather, The Rev. Delbert Henson with prostate cancer. After suffering for over three years, the cancer had consumed his body. The Rev. Delbert Henson passed away in 1985 at the age of 76.
In 1987	My Grandmother, on my Mother's side had health problems she suffered for many years before dying with emphysema.
In 1994	My Grandmother was showing signs of what appeared to be Alzheimer's disease. The doctors diagnosed her as such, and her failing memory seemed to prove their diagnosis.
In 1996	My Father was diagnosed with colon cancer. On April 5, 1996 the Doctors had to surgically remove the cancer and some of his intestines. They caught it in time to save his life. Three years of chemotherapy and radiation treatments were taking a toll on his body, not to mention medical supplies needed every month. My fathers physical life is very limited, but he's alive..
In 1996	I was diagnosed with being border-line diabetic.
In 1996	I was diagnosed with having rosacea, a skin condition.
In 1996	I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in my lower back and legs..
In 1997	While standing in the church parking lot, my Grandmother fainted. This spell was not the first. After a series of tests the doctor determined her heart was stopping, which was causing the fainting spells / black outs. A Pacemaker was implanted.
In 1998	At age 75, my Grandmother, the Rev. Wilma Bell Walker Henson passed away, from a stroke, thirteen years after her husband died of cancer. The autopsy report showed that what we believed to be Alzheimer's disease for the last many years was actually a series of mini strokes, causing lack of blood supply to the brain, which caused dementia.
In 2000	Due to different health problems, I went in for testing by Cat scan, that revealed a two centimeters nodule in my lower right lung.
In 2001	My Great Uncle, on my mother's side just passed away with cancer.