"Facing the Unknown: The Looming Threat of a Deadly Family Disease"
The author shares their personal experience with fatal familial insomnia (FFI), an ultrarare genetic disease that causes rapid deterioration of the brain and is always fatal. Several family members had succumbed to the disease, and the author faced the possibility of carrying the genetic mutation. They participated in a study on early diagnosis but chose to delay knowing their results until they could be with loved ones. After a year of uncertainty, the author received the news that they did not carry the mutation. While relieved, they acknowledge that the disease may still affect their family and embrace the importance of living a full and joyful life.
