Dear Alan: I have always suspected this and in fact when one of my daughters
(the scientic minded one) asked me several years ago whether PD is inherited
I said we didn't know and that it might be. She will read about it this
week and talk with me and I will tell her that there is nothing, no test, to
affirm this and if there were there is no cure, and no treatment until
symptoms appear, and in all probability she won't get it as it isn't as if
they have found that a sizeable percentage of children in a family with a
parent affected actually contract PD.
Last year I had a visitor, a student at Dartmouth who I knew. Jean
Truex, a son of Max Truex who was the first foetal implant done by Bob Iacono
in China. Jean watched the gradual deterioration of his father. He felt the
hope when his dad had the implant. He felt the joy seeing his father
improve. The saddness when Max died. Then he came to talk with me. He
hedged around a lot so I asked him if he wanted to talk about the inherited
gene worry. He did. We talked. Believe me just letting the kids talk out
their fears helps a lot. There are no round numbers we can quote. We can
tell them that the likelihood of getting PD is small and no sense mucking up
their youth worrying about something that small.
This might scare some genetic research money from some people with PD in
the family, but the opposite might occur in the rest of the people who will
say there is no PD in their family so their kids are safe. It was almost
better before when we all thought PD could strike anyone, anytime...and there
but for the grace of God go I...so I'd better donate my money for research
just in case. On the other hand the possibility of MY KIDS getting PD is
bigger now so I want our PD community to get off their cans and start making
themselves heard or write something or get your spouse involved if you are so
far gone no one can hear you. Type, talk, tithe - do something. Our older
kids can get involved politically (become legislators, senators, president)
medically (become neurologists, neurosurgeons, molecular geneticists,
scientists, medical journalists). Marvin can get going with his polically
connected relative. Alan can cajole some of his powerful friends to action.
Vern can speak at clubs - Lions, Rotary etc. I can write more to more
people and go to more fund raisers and nag her husband into getting involved.
We are IT folks.
....Barbara Yacos
DO IT FOR OUR KIDS DAMMIT
