(Writing poems about medical and scientific issues feels a bit weird, but this is how I write..)
If you were destined to develop a fatal disease, would you rather know
About it beforehand, or would you want to go
Through your life oblivious of the peril you could face
Would you want a glimpse into your future or would you uncertainty embrace?
*
Although hypothetical these questions appear
For someone undergoing genetic testing for a familial disease, they provoke much fear
If there are no manifestations of a disease
Knowing it can surface in the future may cause unease
If the test happens to be negative
With peace of mind one can live
But if the test is positive then there is a constant fear
That any time in the future the disease might appear
Sometimes a positive test means a future death sentence
Sometimes the disease manifestation is much less intense..
And even though scientific advancements continue
Treatments for hereditary diseases are relatively few..
*
Knowledge can be power, but it can be burdensome
Being oblivious of one’s risks for a disease and taking life as it comes
May be the preferred approach for some but for others, not
With such grey areas is the practice of medicine fraught..
*
This is not a scientific discourse, therefore my biased opinion I shall give
Without knowing my future risks for disease I want to live
The thought of illness is profoundly anxiety-provoking for me
And a positive genetic test with unclear ramifications I do not want to see..
Passion...unbridled 