4/7/25

Right to Read Day 2025

 

This week is National Library Week. And today is Right To Read Day with the theme Drawn To Freedom. I created this artwork as a multi-published book illustrator. It was drawn to express my support for librarians (I was a library substitute for all the schools in one school district for a while, BTW), libraries, and the freedoms they provide and protect.

I appreciate being invited to participate by Unite Against Book Bans and as a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. 

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3/30/25

van Gogh's 172nd Birthday

  

Today is Vincent van Gogh’s 172nd birthday. Seems everybody loves van Gogh, but few can pronounce his Dutch name correctly. And even fewer know that nobody really cared about him or his work when he was alive. The poor man died heartbroken and impoverished. You can count on a couple fingers the number of paintings he sold in his life. It wasn’t until his late brother’s widow started actively promoting Vincent’s work years after Vincent’s death that anyone took notice. 

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3/6/25

Your Family Mountain

 You don’t have a family tree; you have a family mountain! An Ancestral Arithmetic Activity Start adding up your ancestors from past generations (2 parents + 4 grandparents + 8 great-grandparents +16 great-great-grandparents, and so on). By the time you get to your 20th great-grandparents, you are well into the millions. Keep going to your 30th great-grandparents, and the number will astound you!

Family tree? Think again. And your heritage is likely far more diverse that you imagine. March 8th is Genealogy Day, so here’s a little math exercise for you ahead of the day.

After doing the math, think of all the cousins you have. (I just might be a distant cousin.)
 
I know that I have millions and millions of distant genetic cousins because of my DNA markers and all the genealogical research others have done on some my more notable ancestors. (Especially some ancestors who were clueless seasick sectarian passengers on a crappy off-course cargo ship in 1620.) Then add in my Native American ancestors who had lived in the “New World” for thousands of years, plus all my other ancestors from Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, Scandinavia, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and Brazil. And then there are my Neanderthal ancestors to count.
 
What’s your genetic heritage? And did you know that genealogy can help in preventing hereditary cancer?

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2/4/25

For World Cancer Day and National Cancer Prevention Month

At least 1 in 279 have an inherited genetic variant that increases their risk of cancer. However, hereditary cancers are the most preventable! Knowing and sharing your family's health and cancer history can help prevent hereditary cancer and save lives. Download a free Family Health/Cancer History Pedigree at genetionary.org Red Flags of Hereditary Cancer · Breast, colorectal, or uterine cancers under the age of 50. · Triple-negative breast cancer. (Breast cancer with no estrogen, progesterone, or HER2 receptors on the tumor.) · Male breast cancer diagnosed at any age. · Two separate cancer diagnoses in the same family member. Example: Both pancreatic and breast cancers in one individual. · Ovarian cancer at any age, especially in younger women. · A known BRCA , Lynch syndrome, or other pathogenic hereditary cancer mutation in the family. And that can be in a close genetic relative or one separated by many degrees. · Being of Ashkenazi Jewish descent with a history of cancer at any age. · Multiple family members with the same type of cancer or related cancers (like breast and ovarian). · Pancreatic cancer at any age. · Metastatic prostate cancer.

Knowledge is power. Nobody should die of a preventable cancer. Nobody!


Download a free Family Health/Cancer History Pedigree at www.genetionary.org

Knowing and sharing your family's health history with your health care providers and your family (children, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and first and second cousins) can be life-saving.


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1/30/25

Do You Know Peas about Genes, Genetic Mutations, and Hereditary Cancer?

  

Knowledge is truly power when comes to preventing hereditary cancer. So, I have a created a hereditary cancer prevention resource with a little assistance from a certified genetic counselor and educator. It is professionally designed and printed, and I will try to make it available for free to as many people as possible.

More about the resource book here.

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1/22/25

See Your DNA

 Little did I know that when I was working on this magazine assignment back in 2013, that in just four short years a certain segment of my daughter and late wife’s DNA with missing nucleotides was about to horrendously change the course of my life and career forever. Also at the time, I didn’t realize just how ignorant most adults are about genetics. I illustrated this simple experiment feature for the children’s science magazine, ASK, to introduce 6- to 9-year-olds to genomic science. But when I became a hereditary cancer caregiver in 2017, I felt like there needed to be an easy-to-understand introduction to DNA, genes, genetic mutations, and hereditary cancer for grown-ups. Fast forward to today, I have done just that. More info coming soon.


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1/20/25

Meanwhile at the Politician's Press Conference

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