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I was adopted over 60 years ago as a 1 month old infant. A few years ago Illinois changed it’s records laws and I was able to get my birth father’s first name and my birth mother’s last name. Not enough to close the circle. Then my birth father and I independently took AncestryDNA tests. That gave me his last name. He was prominent in the community and his home phone was listed.I called the number, said I was Dave Ptasnik from Seattle, that I was doing genealogical research, and thought it was possible we were related. He invited me to go on, so I asked him about some things I had researched about his past. There is hiding from the internet. Including if his name was Earl Bryant Anderson and if he dated a woman named Doore at so and so high school in the summer of 1956. “Oh, you mean Judy” (HA! Gotcha mom.) I said that she was indeed the one I meant, and that I was probably his and Judy’s son. His first reaction was that Judy had dated a lot of other guys (nice, dad. Throw mom under the bus and go into denial mode) Then I explained that he was a 100% match from a DNA test. That it was just like they do on Maury Povich or Jerry Springer.I said that I was open to more contact, but would really appreciate family health information so I could give my doctors some relevant information. The call ended cordially. I sent off the family health history form to him and his two surviving children. One child had died in a traffic accident years ago. Seems I still have a half brother and half sister on his side. I did not receive any of the forms back. I did, however receive a threatening letter from his lawyer ordering me to never contact him, any of his family, or pretty much anyone else in the lower 48 states again. So that’s how my birth dad reacted.On to my birth mother, Judith Anne Doore. Same drill with the phone call. When I said I believed I was her son by Earl she quietly said “I don’t want to have this conversation.” and hung up. I have one half brother and two half sisters on Judy’s side. I sent Judy and all my half siblings an explanation letter and medical history forms. No forms returned. Thanks mom. That is her reaction.My reaction? Feeling particularly fortunate to have been adopted by my awesome parents Tom and Betty Ptasnik.The story may not be complete. This past year I have had a meningioma brain tumor removed, as well as pre-cancerous intestinal polyps. All of that can run in families. I am going to send all of them a warning that they should get checked out if they are having any neurological symptoms (I was warned by losing my sense of smell), or haven’t had routine colon screening. I will also send them family health forms again to try to find out what other little surprises may be waiting for me.Cheers

It is said that Chadwick Boseman fought a private battle with colon cancer unknown to nearly every one but perhaps a few fellow actors, as it interfered with an uninterrupted filming of his last movie so that he could receive needed chemotherapy treatments.It needs to be appreciated that Stage III colon cancer when first-diagnosed is difficult to arrest. This particular stage has extension of the cancer to the lymph nodes. Even with surgery alone, the expected 5-year survival rate is 30–50%. Post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy significantly increases disease-free survival as well as overall survival by up to 30%.It is not known whether he had a family history of colon cancer; 75% of those with colon cancer have no such family history. It is also unknown if the first symptoms of his colon cancer were ignored, unappreciated, or just not known until Stage 3 disease was determined.Over time, it is appreciated that colon cancer is affecting individuals at younger and younger ages, and is one of the reasons that the recommendation for first colonoscopy has decreased to 45 years. African-Americans are affected more than other racial groups, and at a younger age.If he had had a family history of inflammatory bowel disease or an inherited form of colon cancer, screenings would have begun much earlier, and perhaps even annually. Since this was (apparently) not the case — even had he followed screening guidelines — his cancer would not have been detected in time.For those who were fans of Chadwick Boseman’s work, this is a terrible loss; it further goes to show that unfortunately bad things can happen to good people, leaving us to ponder how fragile life is.Papadakis, Maxine A., et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2019. McGraw-Hill Education, 2019. pp. 1649–56.

There are several known risk factors for prostate cancer although none of them are strongly linked for individuals. Risk factors only apply to large groups of men.Age - Prostate cancer is virtually unheard of before age 40 and rare before age 50.Family history - Having one first degree relative (father, brother or son) diagnosed with prostate cancer increases one’s risk by 2–3 times. Having more than one first degree relative increases the risk even more. One’s risk is 8 times higher if four first-degree relatives had prostate cancer. Second degree relatives (uncles and grandparents) with a prostate cancer diagnosis elevate one’s risk also, but not as much. A strong family history of other forms of cancer may elevate it somewhat, too.Race - African American men are 75% more likely to develop prostate cancer compared with Caucasian men, and are nearly 2.5 times as likely to die from the diseaseLifestyle and diet - Obesity due to poor dietary habits and a sedentary lifestyle may contribute to the risk as well. Beyond that, there are no specific foods that put one at an increased risk of getting prostate cancer - i.e. consuming eggs is NOT a known risk factor.