We discussed this important topic with Amanda Transue-Woolston who is an adult adoptee and founder of the group Pennsylvania Adoptee Rights. Amanda was born/adopted in Tennessee which is a partial-access state. When she gained access to her original birth certificate and obtained the right to her biological parents' medical histories, she discovered an array of medical issues including Diabetes and cancer.
She is now an advocate for adoptees in Pennsylvania, her current state of residence. Amanda is a Social Work student at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, a member of the NASW and a board member of Adoptee Rights Coalition.
Listen to the program:
Pennsylvania Adoptee Rights: We Believe...
We believe that truth, heritage, and identity are Civil and Basic Human Rights. We are dedicated to providing information and education to spread awareness about the issues faced by adult adoptees living in the United States. We are a grassroots group of concerned members and allies of the adoption community united for the purpose of restoring access to truth, identity, and respect to adult adoptees who were born in Pennsylvania.
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Are you an adoptee who is seeking your biological parents' medical history? Tell us about it in a comment below.
Why is knowing your family history important? Find out more in this blog "Know Your Family History," written by Chanh Huynh, M.D., Medical Oncologist with Cancer Care Associates of York and WellSpan Health.
Patients often do not give a detailed family history because they do not see how this information has any significance to their current care.
Fortunately, significant breakthroughs in cancer biology have shown genetics to be essential to understanding the development of cancer and thus create an incumbency upon providers to always obtain a comprehensive family history. Furthermore, advances in genetic testing have helped build predictive models for cancer development and thus can be used to guide early cancer screening tools that form the foundation of effective preventative medicine.
You can also read "For the Next Generations," an inspiring story about a mother who helped save the lives of her children and grandchildren through genetic testing.
