This disease has been called the Irish Gene. Which is probably why it is being discussed on this list. My husband has it and it is a very common disease but seldom checked for by doctors. It does not show up under a regular blood test. You need a Feritin Test. This disease attacks all vital organs and can go undetected for years which in our case it did. By the time my husband was 42 he had a major heart attack. Since then he has had one fused ankle, one replaced ankle, one knee replacement and surgery for the bones in his elbow along with 13 stents in his heart. He is in constant pain which he lives with. Everyone in the family had to be checked for it. In our case we were all fine. But it's time for a re-checking. He did the DNA which revealed both his parents were carriers. His father was 100% French (but all red heads) and his mother 100% Irish. Maybe Dad ancestry was from the Irish section of France. Anyway, Thanks for your input and keep doing what you are doing by staying on top of it. Nancy Reeb Rhlnj@aol.com wrote: >Maureen, > >Thankyou for your optimistic letter. Believe it or not, I got a nasty notice >from the owner of the Larkin list because it was not genealogy. I never knew >about this disease until a couple of years ago someone wrote into one of the >Irish lists I am on and mentioned it. My sons are not that young; the younger >just turned fifty one and he had known about it for about four years. The >other is fifty eight and just found out about a week ago. > >We live about a half hour east of Phillie and we also have quite a few >excellent hospitals so I know they get very good care. > >Again, thank you so much for your information, I really appeciate it, and >please say a prayer. > >Rita > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FIANNA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > >