Lottery winner isn't gambling with her health
Cheryl Click is rich beyond her wildest dreams. In the 1990s, she won the Texas lottery, pocketing upwards of $27 million. After quitting her job at the electric company, this Texan with a glowing smile cashed in on her dreams and now owns various cattle ranches.
Knowing that her family had a history of heart disease, and wanting to stick around long enough to enjoy her horses and cattle, Ms. Click turned to deCODE genetics for help deciphering what role genetics play in her family’s medical history.
“All my immediate family is gone,” Ms. Click says in her thick Texas drawl. “They died from heart problems. My sister had open-heart surgery, but her heart wasn’t strong enough to support her surgery. My brother had asthma all his life, but his heart quit on him one day. And my mother died of a stroke.”
Fearing that she might have inherited the same health problems, Ms. Click signed up for deCODEme, a test that scans a patient’s genome in order to calculate the genetic risk of 36 diseases such as heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and type-2 diabetes.
“My doctor was telling me about this test that can sort of forecast my medical future. I thought it would be a great test to take so I could see what they predict for me.”
Within weeks of taking the deCODEme test, Ms. Click had an up-close look at her genetic history. The test opened up a window to her future health.
“I have lots of cholesterol problems, but it’s not from my lifestyle. We found out that most of my problems are hereditary.”
You don’t have to be a lottery winner
A test that can scan a person’s DNA in search of genetic markers linked to dangerous diseases? Sounds too much like science fiction. It also sounds expensive.
It’s neither science fiction nor expensive. Thanks to deCODEme, you don’t have to be a lottery winner to take advantage of this medical breakthrough.
Ms. Click turned to the affordable deCODEme tests. A kit was mailed to her house. She swabbed her cheek.
“They have that list of what they can find out about you. So I think it’s worth the money,” says Ms. Click.
When asked whether or not she was nervous about taking a test that could reveal a future bogged down by heart disease, Ms. Click was not worried.
“I just think it’s interesting to see what the results are. To me it’s fantastic deCODE can do it.”
The more you know…
Let’s face it. The more data people have about their risk factors, the better positioned they are to take the steps necessary to improve their health. Take Ms. Click. While her doctor says her heart is in good shape, she has high cholesterol. A simple blood test could’ve given her this information. But because her mother didn’t react well to cholesterol medicine (her mother suffered joint pain as a side effect). Ms. Click would’ve bypassed the medicine and tried to lower her cholesterol by altering her diet and increasing her exercise regiment.
However, Ms. Click used to check electric meters. That involves walking all day long. Today, she’s continued that tradition walking three miles most every day. Yet, she still has high cholesterol. The data generated by deCODEme shows that her medical problem is a hereditary condition, and not due to a lack of exercise or a bad diet. So after consulting with her doctor about her test results, Ms. Click started on a low dose of cholesterol medicine to reduce her risk of heart disease.
There are many reasons to take the deCODEme test. Curiosity. To research your genetic lineage. To gather as much information as possible about your inherent risk of disease. But Ms. Click sums up the reason she thinks people should sign up for the home kit offered by deCODE.
“I want to live as long as I can,” she says with a hearty laugh.
Coda:
A few weeks later, after Ms. Click had completed the scan and received an analysis, she was positive about the outcome:
“I think this testing process is very helpful. I now know what kind of health problems I may have in the future and I can take action on trying to prevent as much of it as I can. Even though it shows that I am high risk in some areas, that doesn’t necessarily mean I will definitely develop those illnesses.”
What kind of action will she take?
“I intend to be more serious about my diet and exercise programs. I have been an exerciser all my life, but have slackened off in the last few years, especially while my husband was ill and I was taking care of him. But I have done better about exercising everyday in the last year, so I will keep that up. I will be more strict with my diet. We can do as much as possible to help ourselves and then the rest is up to God.”
