Do You Know Your Family’s Medical History?

How many of you know your family’s medical history? I know for myself personally, I know most of my family’s history but there is a small & important portion that I don’t know.

When I was 18 months old I was diagnosed with Encephalitis and Epilepsy. I ended up in a coma for 3 1/2 months and no one that I would survive. However, with prayer and good healthcare, I somehow pulled through that medical crisis.

That was the starting point for all of my chronic medical problems. From that time on…it’s been a roller coaster of a ride. I’ve had 47 surgeries in 48 yours, numerous close calls with death, tons of serious medical issues and many of those issues continue today as chronic problems.

When I was 18 I took the time to talk to older members throughout my family to gain some insight on my family’s medical history. I talked to grandparents, parents, great aunts & uncles, cousins…etc. Anyone in the family who was willing to share.

I wrote down all kinds of things and made myself a good organized file of things that I learned. I then presented all of this information to my doctor and she was able to correctly diagnose me with a rare genetic disease, as well as a whole host of other problems. To this day…I update those files & records every time I learn something new about myself or other members in the family.

I feel this is really important to do. If you got close or even distant family members it’s important that you talk to them and write down any & all information that you learn. You can use this information for yourself or for future generations to come.

So…let’s get serious today. I would like to know how many of you have taken the time to learn your family’s medical history and have you documented it?