Well done, Jared. I'm now 79. That dirtnap gets closer. So I just try to get the most I can of each day I wake up. Thanks for this. My family has a similar history to yours.
Good luck to you. Take advantage of all the science and testing you can, it could truly save your life. I am on round 3 of genetic testing. My first was done in 2005 - after being diagnosed with breast cancer at 42. Fast forward to 2018 - my sister gets diagnosed with breast cancer at 55 - so I have more genetic testing. Lucky me I have the ATM gene - which is a breast cancer and pancreatic cancer marker. So, I get yearly MRIs for monitoring. Now, in 2025 - I have lost a sister to pancreatic cancer (2023) and a brother to esophageal cancer (2024) and I have persistent inflammation of lymph nodes in my abdomen. So, after 2 CT scans back to HOA I go. I did the blood test for "cancer signals'' and it was negative (thank goodness) and this week did a blood draw to have more genes tested - because the testing has advanced so much since 2018. Thanks SCIENCE!
Well done, Jared. I'm now 79. That dirtnap gets closer. So I just try to get the most I can of each day I wake up. Thanks for this. My family has a similar history to yours.
Mortality is a sobering blast from the firehouse. I would have never guessed 79. You don't look a day over 70. :)
Jared -- I'm not sure what I like more, your writing style or your footnotes. I look forward to reading these every Friday. Thank you!
Thanks Mary!
Good luck to you. Take advantage of all the science and testing you can, it could truly save your life. I am on round 3 of genetic testing. My first was done in 2005 - after being diagnosed with breast cancer at 42. Fast forward to 2018 - my sister gets diagnosed with breast cancer at 55 - so I have more genetic testing. Lucky me I have the ATM gene - which is a breast cancer and pancreatic cancer marker. So, I get yearly MRIs for monitoring. Now, in 2025 - I have lost a sister to pancreatic cancer (2023) and a brother to esophageal cancer (2024) and I have persistent inflammation of lymph nodes in my abdomen. So, after 2 CT scans back to HOA I go. I did the blood test for "cancer signals'' and it was negative (thank goodness) and this week did a blood draw to have more genes tested - because the testing has advanced so much since 2018. Thanks SCIENCE!
Thanks Kathy. It was a journey and, like a good communicator, a great baseline for content!