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

An Activity Page for DNA Day

 

Tomorrow is DNA Day. Here’s a fun little activity page to help you learn more about deoxyribonucleic acid so you can impress your friends and neighbors with your genomic knowledge.  

For the answers, download a copy of this page at www.genetionary.org/fun. 

Pass it along.

DNA Day Poster

 

DNA research has given my daughter a chance at a full life cancer-free, something many of her maternal genetic relatives, including her late mother, did not get. It has also confirmed that my daughter and I share ancestors with a 1-year-old boy who died about 13,000 years ago in what is now Montana, while also confirming that we have an incredibly diverse heritage from all over the globe.

Why celebrate Deoxyribonucleic Acid Day? Besides making us who we are and connecting us to almost all life on the Earth, it helps to provide for the identification, prevention, treatment, and cure of many diseases and conditions, including cancer. DNA also helps confirm parentage, ancestry, and even criminal evidence. It is also used in agriculture, archaeology, paleontology, environmental studies, computer science, and more.

This poster focuses on DNA and our shared humanity, a fact too many do not understand.

The poster can be downloaded at genetionary.org/dna-day

Do You Know Peas About Deoxyribonucleic Acid?

 

Genomic science is incredibly complex. But there’s one simple fact that’s not shared often enough: our DNA connects us to every other living thing on this planet.

I was going to wait until DNA Day (April 25th) to release this fun (and free) little introduction to deoxyribonucleic acid and genomic science. However, some educators, certified genetic counselors, and friends convinced me to make it available ahead of the day so it could be incorporated into lessons plans, events, etc. So here it is. Download it, print it, 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.

To download the PDF of the book, go to www.genetionary.org/DNA

It’s for ages 8 to adults. Adults? Yes, because, sadly, I have encountered too many grown-ups in my hereditary cancer advocacy who are genomically clueless.