I am participating in a DNA study that has been initiated by 23andMe, a commercial genetics company that provides health and ancestry information based on one's genome. One of the founders of the firm has been diagnosed with sarcoma and is interested in stimulating further research into all types of sarcoma.
If you choose to participate, you will be asked to submit a saliva sample from which your DNA will be extracted. Your DNA will be made available to researchers interested in sarcoma. In return, you will recieve detailed information about what your genome says about your potential health risks, traits, and your ancestry. Its kind of fun, but you may learn things that they may not have wanted to know.
It is an opportunity to contribute to the scientific community's knowledge about this rare disease, and I'm willing to do that in the hope that someday someone will learn enough about sarcoma to develop effective treatments for the hardest to treat forms of the disease.
So if you have a sarcoma and want to register go to https://www.23andme.com/sarcoma/
My journey: Living with and overcoming Synovial Sarcoma. A rare and nasty Cancer. Not a how-to guide but ideas and observations during my experience so far. There are only a few SS survivors publishing and I've found their information helpful and reassuring. The site is also to update my wonderful supporters on my progress. Image above was pre-diagnosis by my daughter of the 'Alien Baby'. This tumour has been removed but the battle to eradicate the disease continues.
I had found the link to this on the Sarcoma Alliance message boards and sent it to my son. He said he'll be sending in some spit, too.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading many more entries to your blog. Healing thoughts go out to you.
Thanks Reggie, yes I also picked it off this site also and thought it a good initiative and worth repeating. I am also following Pete's progress and great to see the recent positive progress. He seemed to get through chemo well with not many side affects. Keep on swimming!
ReplyDeleteI got my results back from this DNA test and they were really interesting. I discovered that I am 20% asian (through my Maori Roots) and that I am related to Genghis Khan,
ReplyDeleteJimmy Buffett, Warren Buffett and Mary Antionette. The medical information is also really interesting, I have a slight predisposition to some cancers and I am very unlikely to go bald.