A Right to Her Genes
by
Susannah Gal
Department of Biological Sciences
State University of New York at Binghamton
and
Jessie W. Klein
Science Department
Middlesex Community College
“But, doctor, what should I do?”
Michelle was sitting in her OB-GYN’s office, having just confronted him with the dilemma she was facing.
“My mother died of breast cancer when I was little and now I find out that her mother, my grandmother, has bone cancer and my grandmother’s brother and my grandfather both have lung cancer. My mother was 40 when she died and I’m almost that now myself. Should I have my breasts removed to prevent me from getting breast cancer?”
The doctor tried to calm her down and clarify the family tree. As far as Michelle knew, her mother was the oldest of four girls and two boys in the family and the only one to have cancer. In fact, her grandfather also had a brother and two sisters, and none of them showed any signs of cancer.
“It’s not strong......
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Approximate Word Count: 1421
Approximate Pages: 6 (260 words per double-spaced page) |