a different kind of gift

last night (christmas eve), lee and i received a gift from my dad that i have yet to understand fully, but wanted to share with you.

he came over to talk about it with us... just the three of us...

its called "23 and me" and you can visit their website here for ALL the answers, but i'll do my best to explain it here...

there are two types of tests they offer--one is for your health and the other is your ancestry. they also have a "complete kit" that offers both... that's the one that we were given.

basically, we send them a sample of each of our saliva and they send you a report of your dna that shows if you've got the "gene" for certain diseases and disorders, if you're a carrier for certain things, your genetic risks, and your responsiveness to certain drugs... that's the health part.

for the ancestry part, somehow through your dna they can trace your global origins and your ancestral lineage... that's the part i'm still trying to figure out...

this gift is especially mind boggling since miss eden is on her way... and we have the opportunity to be aware of certain things that we may or may not pass on to her...

not only are we as a family still learning about all that this entails, but our society is being faced with such powerful issues that used to be so unknown... its been debated about privacy issues along with what this means for your relationship between you and your doctor, and the relationship between you and your insurance company... genetic mapping could certainly be a double edged sword--a first line of defense for taking charge of your health, but if you found out something you didn't want to know, would you worry?

it can be a tool for early diagnostics and preventative medicines... however, what if your insurance company wanted to charge you an even more exhorbitant amount of money because you might get a certain disease or disorder... but that's neither here nor there...

what a special gift of knowledge and opportunity to be given... in such a small box!! we are still soaking it in... and we are still deciding if all of this information is something we even want to know... its certainly our option whether or not to participate... but honestly, i'm still wrapping my mind around the fact that this sort of science is even available!! wow!

thanks, dad!! :)