earlymedical2.5.1. ACTIVITY
Your Family History Exercise
FAMILY HISTORY INTRODUCTION
Your genes are not your destiny, but they certainly are one of the most important predictors of your personal icebergs.
This is not an easy exercise; you may need to speak with various people to complete it. Taking the time now to do it well will pay dividends down the road. We understand there may be people for whom this activity is difficult or impossible. If you are unsure of your family history—do the best you can but do not worry too much if you can only gather limited information.
RESOURCES
To begin, download and print the Family History worksheet below.
Instructions
STEP 1
Complete the Family History Worksheet for each of your family members (this might be your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or siblings). Be sure to include their name, age, relation to you, and known medical conditions. To best identify your icebergs, simply noting that they ‘died of cancer’ or ‘had heart problems’ is insufficient for our needs, so be as specific as possible. Use one sheet per family member.
STEP 2
After you’ve filled out the information for each family member, start to put a rough outline together of your potential health risks or icebergs and insights that you’ve learned from this exercise.
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What do you remember of those who have gone before you?
Take a moment to remember the passing of important members of your family. By doing the hard work and gathering details of their lives, you are unlocking a new perspective on your own path ahead. Keep this information on hand for the upcoming module.
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