Peas on Earth

Coyote Claus Read by a Ranger

Since it's Christmas Eve, I thought I share this. It's another fun read of a book I illustrated that features my treasured Sonoran Desert flora and fauna in a holiday story that, according to the publisher, "brings the cultural heritage of the Sonoran Desert to life through the familiar genre of Clement C. Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas."

(Clement C. Moore is a distant cousin, BTW. But that's a VERY long story for another time.)

More info about the book here:
https://sunbeltpublications.com/shop/coyote-claus/

The video is here in case the embedded version above is not working:
https://youtu.be/96IMyQDXihU

Best of the season to all my hereditary cancer advocate and genomic and genetic scientist friends and acquaintances.

(Yup, the cartoon is pretty goofy. But did you know that quirky humor can spark curiosity and interest in science?* And there are actual scientific studies to back it up.) 

*“No kidding.” said the whimsical illustrator who spent a good chunk of his decades-long freelance career illustrating scientific concepts for kids' magazines and books.

    It happens at this time every year; a lot of random people on social media suddenly become “experts” about some of my ancestors. Sigh. But here’s a story you probably won’t hear elsewhere…

    This disheveled and despondent-looking Pilgrim is Dorothy (May) Bradford. She’s my first cousin (10x removed). She somehow fell off the Mayflower and drowned while the ship was anchored in the calm waters of what is now known as Cape Cod Bay. Dorothy was only 23 years old. Besides her historically notable husband, she also left behind a toddler, who had been left behind with family in the Netherlands because the voyage was deemed too dangerous.

    Dorothy was the niece of fellow Mayflower passenger William White, my 9th great-grandfather. At the time of Dorothy’s death, she was married to William Bradford, who would later become the governor of the Plymouth colony. 

    Bet you never learned about Dorothy in history class. Nobody ever talks about Dorothy. 

Here are some other Mayflower items related to my ancestry…

-- Less than 40 of the 102 passengers of the Mayflower were actually what we call Pilgrims. And 13 of those Pilgrims were either my ancestors or cousins. (BTW, use of the word “Pilgrim” as applied to Mayflower passengers is attributed to William Bradford. He refers to himself as a pilgrim in a poem he penned.)

-- William White, my 9th great-grandfather, died during the “general sickness” that first winter.  Nearly half of all the other Mayflower passengers died that first winter at Plymouth as well.

-- My 9th great-grandmother, Susanna White, is one of only four women of the Mayflower to survive that first winter. She likely helped prepare the very first Thanksgiving dinner the following year.

-- On November 20th, 1620, while still onboard the Mayflower, Susanna gave birth to Peregrine White, my eighth great-granduncle. He was the first child born to the Pilgrims in the “New World*.”

-- Resolved White, the first-born son of William and Susanna, older brother of Peregrine, and my 8th great-grandfather, was only 5-years-old when he sailed with his parents on the Mayflower.

Some more information about the Mayflower voyage can be found on my website at www.markix.net/mayflower

* I use “New World” with a touch of irony; I also have Native American ancestors. Some of my family was already part of the “New World.” Also, BTW, my family’s role in American History is not limited to the Mayflower. 

My painting is 11” x 15” gouache on illustration board. It was originally intended to be part of a Mayflower book project, but that project was put on hold.

(Genealogy screenshots from WikiTree.com)

With the exception of my Native American heritage for really depressing reasons, my family history is well-documented. I have a boatload of notable genetic relatives. And sadly, Dorothy is not the only tragic historical figure in my family tree. There’s a lot of messy and ugly history among some of the branches.  

Coyote Claus -- BookStop Featured Book 2025

Here’s my other book in this year’s Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ annual showcase. And it’s perfect for this time of year. Being a native denizen of the Sonoran Desert, I really enjoyed illustrating this one. Coyote Claus is a fun holiday book for little readers that also highlights some of the native Sonoran flora and fauna I so love.

Both the author and I donate all royalties from this book to cancer nonprofits. (We both lost people we deeply cared about to cancer.)

Here’s the link:  https://www.scbwi.org/bookstop/book/coyote-claus

National Cat Day & DNA

 

Today is National Cat Day. It’s a great day to celebrate all that deoxyribonucleic acid we share with our feline friends!

More info about the book at www.MendelCat.com.

For kids 6-years and up. (For cats 6-months and up.)

Now Available at SCBWI's BookStop!

  

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ annual showcase of books by members is now live. At this time every year, BookStop brings book creators and thousands of book buyers together. My latest book about the tiny thin thread that connects all life is featured at https://www.scbwi.org/bookstop/book/yay-yay-dna-do-you-wonder-what-makes-you-you-with-mendel-g-cat

Yay Yay DNA!

(Sales from the book help me to continue to produce more free materials about hereditary cancer awareness and prevention.)

 

What Breast Cancer Awareness Month Ignores

 

On an October day in 2018, I sat anxiously holding my late wife’s hand to comfort and calm her as she waited for a brain scan. Her doctor suspected her triple-negative breast cancer had spread to her brain (it had).

Earlier I had seen a promotion for a breast cancer awareness walk that looked more like an ad for an Oktoberfest party than an event to raise awareness about a truly horrific disease. It was both angering and heartbreaking to see. At the time, I wanted to write and draw something to express my feelings, but caregiving took priority.

More than a year after my wife’s horrible death in 2021 I wrote this story for CURE, a resource for patients with cancer, survivors and their caregivers. I was surprised CURE published the cartoon and my diss of pinkwashing month events. But I was even more surprised at the hundreds of passionate responses, in messages and as comments on CURE’s social media, who agreed with what I was saying.

Here’s the link to the story: 
https://www.curetoday.com/view/thoughts-on-breast-cancer-awareness-month-the-disease-is-no-stroll-through-the-park-

Talking About Hereditary Cancer

When my late wife was diagnosed with hereditary cancer, I often found myself trying to explain her cancer and genetic mutations to friends and acquaintances. But hereditary cancer and inherited genetic variants are really complicated subjects. In addition, I soon learned that many people have limited knowledge of basic genomic science. Knowing many people might not understand much about genetics often left me unsure on how to start the conversation. To be honest, it took me a while to figure it out.

So, as National Hereditary Cancer Week draws to a close, I’d like to offer what I eventually came up with. Here are four simple sentences that can be used as the script to start the conversation with those unfamiliar with hereditary cancer and genetics. 

Tens of thousands of cancer cases could be prevented every year. Thousands of deaths could be averted every year. And millions and millions of dollars in treatment costs could be avoided. But the conversation about hereditary cancer risk and the importance of knowing family health history needs to improve drastically if we hope to accomplish any of that.

Let’s change the way we talk about hereditary cancer.
 

Mendel G. Cat's DNA Book is Now Available

 

Now available at most online bookstores in paperback and hardbound editions!

The book is a fun little introduction to genomic science for readers six and up featuring Mendel G. Cat. (A lot of adults might benefit from reading it too.)

Every $1 I make off the book (which, literally is about the royalty per copy) will go to fund my hereditary cancer advocacy work and to help me to provide free copies of the book to classrooms, school libraries, and nonprofits.

Go to www.MendelCat.com

Paperback ISBN 979-8-218-77999-3 
Hardbound: ISBN 979-8-218-79986-1
(Probably will not be available in local bookstores for a while, unfortunately. But they can order it for you.)

Previvor Day Poster

 

 Previvor Day is still a couple weeks away, but I want to release this now to help raise awareness and understanding of previvorship ahead of the day. As a parent of a previvor, I celebrate Previvor Day as well as all the science that is giving my child a chance at full life cancer-free. 

This poster can be downloaded at: https://genetionary.org/poster/index.html 

First Contact Revisited

 

This cartoon seems more relevant than ever, so I thought I'd repost it.

Yay Yay DNA!

“Explain it to me like I’m six.” 

That’s a quote from an adult. And it was the inspiration for this book.

In 2018 I became a hereditary cancer advocate my child and late wife both tested positive for the same inherited pathogenic genetic mutation. As a hereditary cancer advocate, I have found that, sadly, many adults lack a basic understanding of basic genomic science. So I created something to introduce little ones to the subject so that hopefully when they grow up, they won’t be totally clueless.

Join Mendel G. Cat and learn more about the tiny thin thread that connects all life. Coming soon.

Download a Copy of The Peas and Q's of Hereditary Cancer

While providing nearly 1K free copies to nonprofits, genetic counselors, and others, I got numerous requests to also create an online edition of this book. Okay. Here it is: www.genetionary.org/book

I will continue to provide boxes of professionally published copies to nonprofits, certified genetic counselors, and etc. as much as possible.

RNA is Life!

 

This was created for kids to introduce them to basic genomic science. But damn, there are a whole lot of supposed grown-ups who need to be set down at a desk and given a box of crayons and this book.

It can be downloaded at www.genetionary.org/DNA

Introducing 2025 National Hereditary Cancer Week/Previvor Day Posters

 

Hereditary Cancer Week and Previvor Day are still a couple months away, but advocates need to start hanging up posters and playing up the two events to raise awareness. Especially now that it seems like clueless clowns are running the circus and cancer research and prevention are no longer public health priorities. It’s up to us advocates to raise our voices to try and save lives.

The posters can be downloaded here: www.genetionary.org/poster.

Do You Know Zebrafish?

Another little fun fact from my “Do You Know Peas about DNA?”

A free* activity book to introduce kids to genomic science. (And since so many adults are absolutely clueless when it comes to basic biology, genes, etc., maybe a lot of them will find it educational as well.)

It can be downloaded at www.genetionary.org/DNA

*For personal, noncommercial use only. If you any have questions about my copyrighted intellectual property usage, please DM me.

Knowing Your Family Health History and Preventing Cancer

 

 A comic book-style resource to help grown-ups understand inherited genetic mutations and hereditary cancer risk? Think it’s too simple for adults? 

Think again.

My wife died a very horrible death from a very preventable cancer because some members of her family didn’t understand what an inherited pathogenic genetic mutation was and what it might mean for other members of the family. And this is in a family devastated by cancer over multiple generations.

These relatives knew about the mutation for years, but didn’t share vital information until after my wife’s cancer diagnosis. They obviously needed someone or something to help them understand the big family picture when they received their genetic test results.

When I was asked to volunteer to help create the art for this project, I did not hesitate. However, to be honest, it was emotionally difficult. Working on it kept reminding that my wife’s terrible death from hereditary cancer was so preventable. 

Go to https://connectmyvariant.org/genetic-inheritance-comic-book to download this free book and learn more about CMV’s mission to end hereditary disease by bringing families together.  If you would like a professionally printed version, you can reach out via email at info@connectmyvariant.org.

And please pass this info on! And save some lives!

A Reminder for the 4th of July

 

Coming Soon - A Story to Help Prevent Hereditary Cancer

 

Peas Mixed with Chromosomes?

Something that I find sad and frustrating as a hereditary cancer advocate is just how little people know about genetics. It's really hard to have a serious discussion about inherited genetic mutations and hereditary cancer awareness and prevention when people have no clue what genes really are and what they actually do.

So I created this free* resource to introduce kids to genomic science. (And with the hope that many adults will find it educational as well.) 

It can be downloaded at www.genetionary.org/DNA

Celebrating Previvor Day on Father's Day Again

 

When my daughter was born in 1993, the announcement about the discovery of the tumor suppressor gene BRCA2 was a couple years away. And the coining of the word “previvor” was still several years off. Both of those future events would turn out to be profoundly significant.

In 2017, my daughter had genetic testing and learned she had inherited a mutation in one of her BRCA2 genes. A mutation that we now know to have been passed down in her mother’s family for centuries. That’s right, centuries. Knowledge of the mutation has allowed my daughter to take steps to significantly reduce her cancer risk. She is a previvor.

As part of our effort to raise hereditary cancer prevention awareness, I set out to design a previvor shirt for my daughter. But I soon realized that there wasn’t really a symbol for previvorship. So I sat down at my drawing table and sketched out about a dozen designs before settling on this one. I wanted the symbol to be unique and open for personal interpretation. But with no cancer ribbon in the design.

This coming Father’s Day, I will be celebrating my daughter’s previvorship and courage. And I will also be celebrating the science that has given my child a chance to live a full life cancer-free. A life her late mother did not get.

Hereditary Cancer Red Flags Checklist

 

With at least 1 in 279 people at risk of hereditary cancer, this checklist should be a standard in every healthcare professional’s office. Download a PDF of it as well as other useful infographics about hereditary cancer at www.genetionary.org

Germline Mutations: Illustrating the Cycle of Hereditary Cancer in Families

 

After my late wife was diagnosed with hereditary cancer, I quickly learned that trying to explain germline mutations and genetic inheritance to anyone who cared enough to ask questions was not an easy task. Especially since it seemed like a lot of people lacked a basic understanding of biology.

Now that I’m a hereditary cancer awareness and prevention advocate, I try to use my extensive illustration and editorial experience to create infographics that introduce and explain genetic mutations and hereditary cancer on a basic level. I hope it makes it a little easier to understand a very complex subject. And I hope it encourages more genetic counseling and testing and helps save some lives as well.

This graphic can be downloaded at: www.genetionary.org/resources. Please pass it along.

On Cinco de Mayo

Since it's Cinco de Mayo, I thought I'd share this.

Sometimes interesting and sometimes frustrating, a lot of my work has taken on a life of its own over the years. It’s really not unusual to see something I created over the course of my long career being used on the internet or when I travel about. (Sometimes authorized, sometimes not.)

(Ask me about some of my Discovery (Channel) Education Clip Art Gallery images someday.)

Connecting the Scientist Who Discovered the Structure of Deoxyribonucleic Acid

 DNA Day is celebrated on April 25th every year. It celebrates the discovery of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid as well as the ongoing study of genomic science. DNA contains our genetic code, which is responsible for everything in our bodies, from how our body works to how we look. And it connects to ALL life on Earth.

Here’s another little activity to celebrate one of the pioneers of genomic science. Download it, print it, connect the dots, and color it. And please be sure to share the link with anyone who you think might benefit from learning a little more about the tiny thin thread that connects us all.

Go to www.genetionary.org/fun