Terry

With no knowledge of her own family history, this adoptee and mother used her DNA to take control - and pass that empowerment along to her daughter.

For Terry, Navigenics Health Compass was the only way that she could learn about her biological inheritance.

“I was adopted, so I don’t have any specific information about my family history. None of that information is available to me. That has always concerned me.”

Terry’s other attempts to learn about her birth family were not successful. Frustratingly, the agency that handled her adoption had all information she sought, but would not share it with her.

“What they always said was, ‘No identifying information. That’s what we’ll give you, is no identifying information.' It is so depressing to know that somebody else has that information about me, but that I’m not allowed to have it. When I went to my doctor and he asked for a family history, I couldn’t give him anything. I don’t have a family history.”

Even so, Terry is no stranger to inherited disease. She has had to watch her adoptive mother deal with Alzheimer’s. Throughout her mother’s struggle, she has wondered about her own risk for the disease.

“Now I can give my daughter information about her own health. It’s so thrilling – for both of us – to go through the Navigenics testing and see my results. Suddenly we have so much more information than most people have about their genetic make-up.”

By unlocking her genetic inheritance, Terry was able to come to terms with her past. Most importantly, she can now take action to improve her health.

Since receiving her results Terry has been much more diligent about her diet and exercise to minimize her risks for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Her daughter, who is in college, is doing the same.

Terry also plans to share her results with her doctor at her next checkup so they can develop a plan, together, to maintain her optimal health.

To her relief, Terry learned that she has a low risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

“Now I have information that no one can ever take away from me. Plus, I’ll learn more as time goes on and new genetic tests are developed. Having this information really makes me feel that I finally have an identity and that I’m the one that’s controlling my destiny.”

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