I’m almost 79, my maternal grandfather was Native American and I was born with some very defective genes and many rare health problems. At 6 months old, I was losing weight, throwing up and had severe diarrhea. Doctors at out local hospital told my mother to take me home because I was dying from what was called “Waste of Life.” I was taken to a medicine man/Shaman who was able to help me and here I am, still alive. It was that story my mother told me that would lead me to my search into genetics for some of my medical problems. Waste of Life killed many babies and toddlers back in 1944 when I was only 6 months old. Today that condition is known as “Failure to Thrive.” Both are intestinal problems and is still killing babies today in certain countries where medical care is non existent. So with many medical books at the library, before the internet, I began my study of genetics. Not only for the cause of my intestinal problem but also mental illness that runs in my family, myself and four brothers included.

Now, with thousands of hours of research under my belt and in my head, the trail of symptoms gave me the first clue. It seems that my intestinal problem is traced to my bowel being unable to absorb certain fats and proteins. That’s why the Waste of Life killed many babies and toddlers because they were starving to death even tho nourishment was going in, the bowel was unable to absorb it. I knew that had to be genetic in nature, so I had to find which genes could cause that problem. So I had to become a self taught geneticist, finding out what each gene was capable of doing what. Some really complex defects can have multiple genes causing the health symptom, like malabsorption. So days, weeks, months and years turned into an obsession, not only for my benefit but my entire family was involved. Genes 11 & 12 are the culprits I remember correctly and Gene 14 is the one which contributes to mental illness, for which my paternal grandfather spent the last 42 years of his life in a mental hospital, the first 20 was in an insane asylum.

During my research if I remember it right, example: a small fleck of say gene 22 breaks off and attaches to gene 24 and produces a cancer. Amazing how your body can screw itself up. I’m going to stop right here because this is so long. If you are still interested, I can explain more of my rare illnesses I’m afflicted with that I used my knowledge to discover the diagnosis before I even went to the doctors.

I just wanted to let you know that looking into your genes could be like holding a lit stick of dynamite. You might end up finding out you have the defective gene for breast cancer and will get it. Or how about some other devastating health disease. Could you handle that information and suddenly have to prepare for your impending death?
That’s the exact thing I had to do, at least 6 times now because of my rare health issues. I have blood problems, also heart, brain, kidneys, dead nerves, an aneurysm just below my heart, precancerous cells getting ready to progress into full blown cancer, a nonexistent immune symptoms that has caused 19 lung infections in 8 years, including 4 with Covid, or that my body is destroying itself literally by attacking good cells as tho they were the enemy. As two sayings I keep handy go, “Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it!” The other one is more appropriate. “I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet!” Things can always be worse, so don’t go looking for it, you just may find it.