Dementia/Alzheimer's

In this article about Alzheimer’s disease it follows two brothers who want to know their chance of getting this life altering disease. Marty and Matt Reiswig have been wondering about their chances of getting this increased form of dementia their whole lives. They have been told that in their family there is a defected gene that is passed down from parent to child and that they have a fifty-fifty chance of getting Alzheimer's. As they had research done about this they learned that this mutated gene brings Alzheimer's at the early age of fifty years. The brothers later learned that there is a blood test that can help them to learn if the mutated gene was passed along to them. Marty and Matt had researched this blood test and learned that there are things this blood test can help to know, sadly for Alzheimer’s it was not one. This disease is not curable they later learned. It was their choice on whether they wanted to know their “fate”. Marty being 37, had to come to realization that if he had the mutated gene he has a little more than a decade before he starts to fall to Alzheimer’s. Marty Reiswig said, “ Sometimes I think, ‘This is a terrible storm on the horizon that could absolutely devastate us, and I want to know if it is real or not.’ Other times I say, ‘Gosh, if I do find out that is real and I know I will die that way and I know probably the age I will die- that is an almost unbearable amount of information about my future.’” Marty Reiswig later joined a group of people studying at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Here he met many people like him wanting to know about the mutated gene. At a meeting half the people said they were tested and a portion of those people said they regret it at times. In the end Marty, decided not to be tested for this disease. Matt on the other had just started his decent into the mystery and decided he wanted to be tested. Matt had been living every day scared of what the conclusion could be. Matt Reiswig said, “I was already living every single day, every single moment assuming I had it,” and he continued with saying “ I did not want to find out I have it. I wanted to find out I don’t have it.” Matt was lucking and after getting test he found out he did not carry the mutated gene. Overall, I learned from this that some things are unexpected and not to assume the worst. Marty and Matt chose two different paths that made their life feel safe and happy.

Title of article: Screening for Alzheimer’s Gene Tests the Desire to Know

Name of publication: The New York Times, by Gina Kolata

Date of publication: March 7, 2016