Tony

This retired attorney believes it's important to know as much as you can about your health, so you can make decisions that will enable you to control your life - and especially what the quality of your life is going to be.

For Tony and his family, exercise is a shared passion. For years they have biked, skied and run together. Unfortunately, they had to face the possibility that heart disease might be another shared family trait. Tony’s father suffered from heart problems, and Tony often wondered if he and his son had inherited the same risk.

“I've heard people say, ‘Gee, I wouldn't want to know.’ But, how could you not want to know? There's always something that you can do with that knowledge that will enable you to have a better quality of life.”

For Tony there was no question that he wanted all the information that was available about his health. He knew immediately that he wanted to enroll in Navigenics Health Compass. So did his son.

“Looking at the genetic history Navigenics provided me, I saw right away that I had a strong disposition towards heart disease. I realized that just because I exercise a lot, that doesn’t mean that I can ignore this risk. This information about my genetics was the last part of the puzzle – maybe the most important part – that told me what I needed to do. My son inherited the same risk for heart disease; now we also share the same motivation to stay healthy.”

The information they received from Navigenics motivated Tony and his family to improve their health together. Here’s what his wife had to say about the process:

“I have friends who have a family history of heart disease, who still aren’t doing everything they can to take care of themselves. Seeing the chart from Navigenics really made us face reality. When you see it in black and white on the screen, it forces you to really think hard about how you can mitigate your risk.”

Together the family decided to improve their diets. They also took their shared love of exercise and made it a more consistent part of their lives – with a greater focus on maintaining coronary health.

They also made a deliberate decision to lead more balanced lives, with an increased emphasis on time spent together.

“I think it's important to know as much as you can, so that you can make decisions that will enable you to control your life, how long you're going to live, and especially what the quality of your life is going to be.”

View more success stories