This is great! A news organization making the connection between Celtic curse, St. Patrick’s Day and hemochromatosis. Please share this story with friends (a more complete blog post on this is in the works). The more people know about this condition the better. Celtic Curse is a leading cause of diabetes, liver cancer, joint pain, and heart disease. Yet it is easy to treat, by giving blood.

Hemochromatosis Heroes like Dr. Martin L. Alpert, a family practice physician in Santa Monica, Calif., deserve national recognition for insisting that routine physical exams include inexpensive tests of serum iron and iron binding capacity, used together to calculate iron saturation. Why? “because I picked up two or three cases a year for probably the last 25 years.” Such a simple way to avert needless human suffering, not to mention the medical cost savings, clearly in the millions at this one practice alone when you consider the alternative, treating 50 people suffering from full-blown, undiagnosed hemochromatosis. Thank you Dr. Alpert!

The use of blood taken from hemochromatosis patients is a hot topic right now over on the Hemochromatosis Facebook page. The are wide discrepancies in how medical facilities handle hemochromatosis blood.

So we want to highlight some useful resources that can help spread awareness of the fact that hemochromatosis blood is fine to donate and bank, just like “normal” blood:

• Iron Disorders Institute info sheet on use of HHC blood (printable PDF)
• Centers in your state that use hemochromatosis blood

The first item is a great way to educate people on this topic and it is easy to print out. So why not download it, print it up, and drop off a few copies at your doctor’s office, health clinic, or blood donation center? The more people who know hemochromatosis blood can be used, the stronger our country’s blood supply will become. Consider this:

• Hemochromatosis patients give a lot more blood than the average citizen, particularly in the early stages of treatment.
• You can’t “catch” hereditary hemochromatosis, the blood is safe to use.
• Too many clinics still throw the blood away or charge to “filter” it, which is a shameful waste of a precious resource.
• You could make the difference at your local clinic by passing along this information.

(Never, and we mean NEVER, assume that doctors and nurses know about hemochromatosis blood. With all the paperwork they have to wade through these days, and the sheer pace of new medical discoveries, it is understandable that some doctors and nurses will have missed the latest on hemochromatosis.)

So here’s your chance to help. Hand out professional, medically reviewed information about this surprisingly common condition that comes with one amazing benefit: Treatment involves giving blood, good healthy, bankable blood for our nation’s blood supply.

Can you die of ignorance? You surely can. Ignorance of hemochromatosis kills countless thousands of Americans every year. Just how ignorant are we of this deadly genetic disorder? Here’s a quick test: Have you ever heard of one or more of the following genetic conditions:

• Cystic fibrosis • Down syndrome
• Sickle cell disease • Haemophilia

Guess what? They are all rarer than hereditary hemochromatosis! Maybe you don’t believe me, so you Google “most common genetic disorders” and you find some lists and hemochromatosis is not on them. Why is that? The lists are wrong! That’s how widespread the ignorance is.

The fact remains, well documented, that hereditary hemochromatosis or genetic haemochromatosis for our British readers, is carried by at least 1 in 10 people in America and probably at least as common in Britain.

Want to get academic about it? The number cited by the Iron Disorders Institute, a non-profit with many respected physicians on its board, is 0.043 or 43 people per 1000, and is described as “the potential for homozygous or compound heterozygous variations of the HFE gene according to this reference: *Steinberg KK, Cogswell ME, Chang JC, Caudill SP, McQuillan GM, Bowman BA, Grummer-Strawn LM, Sampson EJ, Khoury MJ, Gallagher ML. JAMA. 2001 May 2;285(17):2216-22. Prevalence of C282Y and H63D mutations in the hemochromatosis (HFE) gene in the United States.”

So why is this ignorance deadly? If you do not treat hemochromatosis it can cause toxic levels of iron to build up in your body and lead to liver cancer, cardiomyopathy, and diabetes, to name but a few of the potentially life-ending complications of this easily treatable condition.

Wait? Did I just say “easily treatable”? Yes, the bitter “irony” of our society’s massive ignorance of this condition is that its ill effects can be staved off through the simple act of–wait for it–giving blood. That’s right, the treatment for hemochromatosis is giving blood and, according to the FDA, that blood is perfectly safe and can be used to increase our nation’s blood supply.

Ain’t knowledge grand!

Note:  Due to ignorance, many blood banks throw away blood from hemochromatosis patients or even charge them for “filtering.” This is infuriating, immoral, and should be illegal. The FDA is quite clear that the blood is good, and so is the NIH.

Ernest Hemingway, one of America’s greatest writers, died from hereditary hemochromatosis on July 2, 1961, exactly 50 years ago today.

You might have read that Hemingway died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but hereditary hemochromatosis–also known as HHC, iron overload, bronze diabetes and Celtic Curse–was undoubtedly the underlying cause of his death. Quite by coincidence, July is Hemochromatosis Awareness Month in America, a time to raise awareness of what we now know is the most common genetic killer in America. By raising awareness of HHC you can quite literally save lives. And if a giant of literature can help raise HHC awareness, so be it.

How did hemochromatosis kill Hemingway? By causing toxic levels of iron to accumulate in his joints and organs bringing pain, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, heart disease, and depression. That depression is more than just being unhappy because your body is damaged and your health is failing. That toxic iron accumulation plays its own role in affecting mood and brain function. Sadly, suicide is an all-too-common outcome of undiagnosed hemochromatosis.

Back in the 1950s, when Ernest Hemingway’s health really started to deteriorate, doctors did not have direct evidence that hemochromatosis was genetic, although some doctors were sure that it was an inherited condition. The genetic connection was made in 1996 through research on the HFE gene. This discovery led to a genetic test for the condition and doctors quickly discovered that HHC was a much more common condition than previously thought.

How common is inherited hemochromatosis? Calculations based on field research vary but 1 in 200 Americans is probably a good estimate. Very few potentially fatal genetic conditions, if any, come close to that level of occurrence. Historically the frequency of HHC is higher in populations with an Irish or Celtic connection (the condition is referred to as hereditary hemochromatosis in America, but in Ireland, Scotland, and other parts of Europe, the condition is called genetic haemochromatosis).

Of course, after President Obama’s recent visit with relatives in Ireland, it would be a mistake to characterize HHC as a white or Caucasian or Northern European condition. You can have HHC in your genes pretty much regardless of your physical appearance.

Sadly, the Hemingway family history is a classic saga of HHC. Ernest Hemingway’s father Clarence committed suicide, as had his father before him. Ernest Hemingway’s sister Ursula, and his brother Leicester, also committed suicide. The father of Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, committed suicide. From what we now know of genetics and hemochromatosis, all of them would have had hereditary hemochromatosis.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. Hemochromatosis can be treated and its effects limited and controlled. Treatment of HHC is not only FREE but HHC gives back to society in a way no other disease does! That’s because the treatment for excess iron is to take blood (that is, give blood from the perspective of the hemochromatosis patient being treated).

As for detection and diagnosis, a genetic test that can reveal your HFE gene status is available for less than $100 (a good example is the 23andme service). And simple blood tests that can detect elevated iron levels cost just a few dollars. If you have any reason to think you might have HHC you should ask your doctor to order these tests.

Acceptable reasons include any of the symptoms of HHC and/or a family history of liver disease, depression, suicide, joint pain, or diabetes. (And don’t let anyone tell you that cirrhosis of the liver is always caused by alcohol so your relatives with liver problems are/were heavy drinkers; this story reported in the Washington Post proves otherwise.)

Ernest Hemingway was a giant of American arts and letters. The Winner of a Pulitzer for his fiction, he is one of just five Americans who were among the first 50 winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His life and writings continue to inspire and inform people around the world. Now, in the story of his death, his legacy can include saving lives by spreading the word of this treatable but widely under-diagnosed condition, hereditary hemochromatosis.

Imagine the shock of getting a call from the intensive care unit of your local hospital telling you that your brother has been admitted. The doctor says your brother is delirious and combative and “in the throes of advanced alcoholism.” Furthermore, he has cirrhosis of the liver, internal bleeding, and ketoacidosis—a medical emergency in which a shortage of insulin can lead to coma or death—from newly diagnosed diabetes.

If you’ve never thought of your brother as an alcoholic such a call could be both shocking and disturbing. Of course, the story gets even more worrying if your brother turns out not to be an alcoholic. But such is the story told in this excellent Washington Post article about an almost fatal failure to diagnose hemochromatosis.

Several things struck me when I read this article, in addition to feeling terrible for Jeff Williams, the subject of the story, and his family, who are now living in the shadow of hemochromatosis. For one thing there is an amazing coincidence here. I wrote the following on this blog in July of last year:

Most people are fascinated to learn more about a potentially fatal condition [hemochromatosis] that might run in the family, might be killing relatives, and might explain why Uncle Fred had cirrhosis of the liver even though he swore he never touched a drop. (Here’s a hint: Uncle Fred might have been telling the truth–while drinking to excess is never a good idea, hemochromatosis can damage your liver in ways that mimic the effects of alcohol consumption.)

I wrote that in the context of raising awareness of hemochromatosis, the most common genetic killer in America today. I have found that people are indeed fascinated to find out about hemochromatosis and, because July is National Hemochromatosis Awareness Month in America, I was suggesting ways to make people aware.

The example of “alcoholic Uncle Fred” was actually based on my own father-in-law, who most definitely was not an alcoholic, but got accused of being a secret drinker. This happened when he was admitted to hospital in 1994 because he was feeling very disoriented (e.g. he thought it was 1964). Because his regular doctor was on vacation and unable to refute this drinking allegation–as one doctor speaking to another–the hospital doctors brushed aside the claims of mere family members that he was not a heavy drinker, just as they did with Jeff Williams.

It was only after my father-in-law died and my wife was diagnosed with hemochromatosis that the episode came into focus. His disorientation was caused by liver problems that were not alcohol-related but hemochromatosis-created. Don’t get me wrong, drinking a lot of alcohol is not good for your liver. But hemochromatosis can call cirrhosis in people who never touch a drop. And the chronic arrogance of doctors who contradict family members in blind allegiance to a textbook diagnosis is worse than not good, it is downright deadly, and sadly all too common.

I know this because several similar stories appeared on the Hemochromatosis page on Facebook within hours of me mentioning the Washington Post story. And people were quick to speak up on the Celtic Curse Twitter feed. Apparently, for some doctors and nurses, having an Irish heritage is grounds for suspicion of alcoholism, but not for considering the possibility of hemochromatosis.

All of which leads me to say this: July is just around the corner, so now is a great time to start telling people about Celtic Curse, a deadly genetic defect that occurs in a wide range of people, many of whom don’t consider themselves to be Celtic at all.

President Obama arrived in Ireland today and although the main focus of his visit is diplomacy, he is also set to connect with his Irish roots. He will visit the village of Moneygall in County Offaly, home to just under 300 people, some of whom are distant relatives of the President (as reported by Christian Science Monitor).

Which brings me to the point of this blog post: An Irish heritage can be a wonderful thing, but it can also come with a down side, one that goes by the name of hereditary hemochromatosis, a.k.a. Celtic Curse. Although a lot of websites say that hemochromatosis is rare among people of African descent, this potentially fatal iron disorder is not that rare in people who self-identify as black and/or African American.

So the Celtic Curse blog would love to see President Obama get tested for mutations of the hemochromatosis (HFE) gene and share the results of his test as a way to raise the world’s awareness of this widely under-diagnosed and potentially fatal genetic condition. In fact, it would be great to see ALL members of the U.S. congress take the same test. The amount of money America would save if more people were aware of this condition is huge (huge as in a trillion dollars, which is the topic of our next blog post).

We’re not joking about the President getting tested. This is serious stuff. Just consider the following extract from a study by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute: “Although HFE gene mutations were less common among the African-American subjects than they were among the white subjects, African-Americans who possessed an HFE gene mutation were at greater risk of colon cancer (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1 to 3.9) than were whites who possessed an HFE gene mutation (OR = 1.2, 95% CI = 0.8 to 1.6).” See full article.

In other words, HFE gene mutations need to be taken seriously, and people need to find out if they have them, sooner rather than later. If hemochromatosis is caught early then damage to organs and joints can be avoided through regular blood donations (it’s hard to think of another health condition where the cure is so cheap and actually gives back to society like that).

So please, President Obama, get your HFE checked and tell the world about Celtic Curse.



This post is a quick update to let you know we’re still here and still working on raising awareness of hemochromatosis, even though the twin demands of the “day job” and coping with HH have been taking up most of our time (that’s why there’s no fancy image to go with this post).

Fortunately, we are not alone, and hemochromatosis sufferers don’t have to go it alone. There are places to turn for advice, insight, support, and maybe even a smile or two. Places like My Dog’s Teeth, a blog written by Cristi-Rae Baird, a young Canadian HH patient. Here are links to Cristi’s site and several other HH-related places you might not know about. They are all worth checking out.

• The My Dog’s Teeth blog: Cristi’s personal account of living with hemochromatosis (and a dog). Cristi’s in-depth interview with Jillian is well worth reading.
• The MisAdventures of Bad Boy Kimball: a personal blog from Steve Kimball, writing about coping with hemochromatosis. My wife and I can totally relate to Steve’s post on family notification!
• The Iron and Sunshine blog: About living with hemochromatosis (and the bright side of Navy life, and love, in Hawaii). The blog’s author, Jillian, interviewed Cristi and the resulting post offers interesting personal and international perspective on coping with HH.
• The Iron Gal blog: A new blog by Meg. You have to love the title and tag line “Hemo…chroma…WTF?”
• The hemochromatosis forum at Daily Strength: A growing community of HH patients offering mutual support.
• Discussions on the Hemochromatosis Facebook page: These continue to grow and you may find that reading past discussions not only helps you understand what others are going through, but can help you to cope with what you’re having to handle in your own struggles.
• The Iron Disorders Institute website: This is the place to turn for solid medical advice on all things hemochromatosis, including anemia and over-bleeding. Everything on this site is reviewed by HH experts and although it may take a little digging, you can probably find answers to most of your medical questions here.
• Facebook page for Hemochromatosis Society of New York: Started by Ted Scheriff to provide mutual support to HH sufferers in the area.

Finally, sadly, there is one bunch of links you probably don’t want to click. They refer to something called The Iron Overload eBook by Linky Muller. I am seeing a lot of spam tweets for what seems to be a $37 electronic book that probably has less useful information in it than the medically reviewed Iron Disorders Institute Guide to Hemochromatosis that you can buy in paperback on Amazon.com for a lot less than half that price, and as an eBook on Kindle for $9.89. I would be happy to be proved wrong. I am standing by to review the book if the author would like to send me a copy. I certainly sympathize with anyone who has HH and am grateful to all who tell their story, but this does not seem like the way to do it.

(FYI, a spam tweet is created by an automated system of fake accounts that have a human name followed by a number, like Colettaj339. When you check out the profile you see this person has a. sent many tweets, b. not followed anyone. The account merely exists to direct clicks to a promotion in return for money.)

A simple genetic test is all it takes to know if hereditary hemochromatosis, the most common genetic killer in America, is in your genes. Your doctor can order this test or you can order the test yourself, direct from a reputable testing service. But that may change.

The Food and Drug Administration is seriously considering making some health-related genetic tests prescription-only. In other words, you would need your doctor’s permission to get this and other tests. In some cases the results would go to your doctor, not you. We don’t think such restrictions are needed. We think they would be detrimental to the public good and increase the cost of health care.  So we have organized a petition to express these views to the FDA. If you agree, please sign the petition.

Why Consumer Access to Genetic Tests Matters to You

Sadly, many doctors are overworked these days and simply lack the time it takes to stay abreast of the latest developments in genetics. We feel tremendous sympathy for doctors who want to stay informed but simply don’t have the time because hundreds of genetic traits have now been linked to serious health conditions, drug reactions, and medical risk factors. However, many consumers do have the time to explore genetic factors that affect them personally, particularly medical problems that run in the family, problems like hemochromatosis, a leading cause of liver disease, diabetes, joint pain, and heart disease in America today.

Hemochromatosis is a great example of why direct consumer access to genetic tests is so important, and why inserting a “doctors-permission” requirement between gene tests and individuals would be a mistake. Consider these 5 points:

1. A genetic test is not required to diagnose hemochromatosis. But a genetic test is the only way to know if hemochromatosis runs in the family.
2. If hemochromatosis does run in your family then family members who are affected can take appropriate steps to avoid long-term damage from iron toxicity.
3. Taking those steps, like reducing iron intake, can be harmful if you are not at risk for hemochromatosis.
4. The only way to know which family members are at risk is a genetic test.
5. Imagine you are part of this family; wouldn’t you like to know if you or your children have any of the genetic mutations associated with hemochromatosis? But when you ask your doctor she says the test is not necessary.

Now let’s say you can go online and order a saliva collection kit for $200. After you mail your saliva to the lab you can get online access to your hemochromatosis carrier results in 6 to 8 weeks, along with a lot of other data derived from your DNA, such as your sensitivity to warfarin or Plavix.

All of this data comes with clearly written explanations of the medical implications and loads of resources for finding out more.

Would you order the test or accept your doctor’s opinion that your hemochromatosis carrier status in something you don’t need to know?

Unfortunately, at CelticCurse.org we’ve heard too many horror stories about doctors not getting patients tested soon enough for genetic hemochromatosis. Delay can lead to needless pain, suffering, organ damage, joint damage, and death. Sadly, America’s doctors are woefully under-informed about hemochromatosis despite the fact that it contributes to more deaths, liver cancers, heart problems, and cases of diabetes in America today than any other inherited genetic condition.

Why You Need to Let the FDA Know What You Think

We became very concerned when we heard about the recent FDA hearings on making health-related genetic tests “prescription-only.” We were saddened to learn that this type of restriction is something the American Medical Association has been lobbying for. So we submitted comments to the FDA ahead of the hearings. We highlighted the case of genetic hemochromatosis. Then we waited to hear the outcome. The news was not good.

The FDA spokesperson indicated some tests would be restricted so that consumers could no longer order them directly. In some cases the person being tested would not receive the results; those results would go to the doctor instead:

The FDA may require some tests to be ordered by doctors, and some results may have to be sent to doctors instead of patients

According to Bloomberg News, after the FDA advisory panel meeting, the director of the FDA office that regulates diagnostic screening tools, Alberto Gutierrez, said:

the FDA will decide, case-by-case, whether to restrict the availability of tests sold by companies such as 23andMe

We think this is just wrong. If the FDA goes ahead, the cost to consumers and the country will be huge. Here’s just one example: Right now at www.23andMe.com you can order a test for $199 that will not only tell you about your genetic status with respect to the hemochromatosis genes, but  also covers Cystic Fibrosis, Gaucher Disease, Sickle Cell Anemia, Tay-Sachs, and a lot of other health-related genetic data. Imagine having to go to your doctor to get “permission” for all of those, probably for about $200 each.

Not that we are saying $199 is cheap, but we are pretty sure such tests will cost more if doctors get involved. And your doctor may not want to get involved. We hear all the time about people who clearly have hemochromatosis themselves, or in their family, but can’t get their doctor to authorize a genetic test.

We know that direct-to-consumer genetic tests need to be regulated, and they are, by the FDA. We appreciate the way the FDA has gone about setting standards for such tests. But forcing us to ask doctors for permission to learn about our own genes? We think that’s wrong.

If you agree, please sign the petition! Then tell your friends and family. If a lot of consumers tell the FDA they want direct access to health-related genetic tests, the FDA will have to take this into account.

The following comments were submitted to the Food and Drug Administration by Stephen Cobb, in preparation for the planned meeting of the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee, said meeting to be held March 8-9, 2011, to discuss issues surrounding direct-to-consumer access to genetic testing.

FDA Comment Tracking Number: 80bfb28b

These comments represent my opinion as a consumer and as someone whose life has been permanently and negatively impacted by a genetic condition.

I think it would be a serious setback for public health in America if you decide to stop responsible companies such as 23andMe providing their current genetic testing services direct to consumers. I have used the services of 23andMe and have been impressed by the level of care and responsibility the company exercises in presenting health-related test results.

I see no benefit in requiring a doctor’s prescription to get such tests or in placing a doctor between me and the facts about my genetic makeup. Indeed, I see a lot of potential for harm. I live with such harm every day.

For several years now, my wife has been in almost constant pain due to undiagnosed hereditary hemochromatosis. The genetics of this condition being what they are, our daughter is at risk from hemochromatosis. We want her to get tested. But if such a test required permission from her doctor and her doctor felt the test was unnecessary, then we would have a problem. Not knowing her carrier status could result in harm to her and any children she might have, not to mention the mental stress of not knowing.

This is a very real scenario. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that, despite hereditary hemochromatosis being the most common genetic killer in America today, the current level of knowledge about this condition within the medical community remains woefully inadequate (as revealed in surveys such as that done by the CDC).

So it is quite possible that a genetic test we regard as critical for a family member may not strike a doctor the same way. The stories I read on the Hemochromatosis Facebook page lead me to think this is how things are. Requiring a doctor’s approval to get tested for a genetic defect like hemochromatosis will likely add time and money to the process while taking away freedom of choice and open access to information about something of vital interest to consumers, their family members and loved ones.

The argument that a doctor is required to present the results of medical testing might sound good in theory but too often falls apart in practice. You currently need a lot more than a prescription to get the kind of test that revealed my thoracic aortic aneurysm seven years ago. How did my cardiologist inform me of that aneurysm? With a photocopied form letter that arrived at my house on a Friday after their offices closed for the weekend. How many words of advice and counseling about the implications of that test result were included: zero. So I’m not at all impressed with the argument that doctors should be in charge of the flow of information about my genes.

Finally, I think it is a mistake to frame the discussion of direct-to-consumer genetic testing as an issue of medical procedures or medical tests. The issue is one of access to personal data, facts about myself, points of information that have been there all my life and belong to me in a profoundly and uniquely personal way. That the technology exists to document my genetic makeup does not make the act of documentation a medical test. If I get my genome mapped the information is mine and I should be able to access that information and decide with whom it is shared.

As a consumer I do not see genetic data as different from any other personal anatomical data that pertains to my health and welfare. For example, if I look at my face in the mirror in the morning and see it is covered with spots, that is actionable anatomical data. Our society assumes I am capable of assessing the relative probability that these spots are acne, measles, an allergic reaction, or something unknown. Our society says I am free to access this data (the shape, size, color, number, and distribution of the spots). I am free to put this data together with other medical data that I own (such as known allergies and the medical histories of myself and family members). And I am free to act on this data, either by self-medicating based on my own assessment of the spots, or by seeking further advice, perhaps from a family member, or a pharmacist, a nurse, or even a doctor.

In my opinion my genes are no different from the rest of my anatomy. In a very real sense they are my anatomy. I should be trusted with access to them. If I am watching NBC Nightly News and Dr. Nancy Snyderman is telling Brian Williams and the rest of America that a study of PSA levels in about 9,000 men of European descent from Iceland who were free of prostate cancer showed that subjects with the CC genotype at rs401681 had 7% higher PSA levels on average, and researchers suggest that individual PSA level cutoffs for prostate biopsies could be based on whether a man carries specific genetic variants such as this one, then I should be free to check out my own rs401681.

In fact, I did just check it at 23andMe, at no incremental cost to me. Turns out I have the CC genotype at rs401681. There seems to be no good argument for placing obstacles between me and that information.

Defeat hemochromatosis? In one year? Surely that’s impossible? Well, the key to defeating hemochromatosis is making everyone aware of the condition. I’m talking doctors, nurses, family, friends, the person seated next to you the next time you fly. Hemochromatosis accounts for more cases of diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, liver disease, depression and suicide than anyone has so far cared to calculate. Why? Because not enough people know enough about it.

So how about this: You are one person, but this year you resolve to tell ten people about hemochromatosis, and you ask each of them to tell ten people. We can call it the 1+10 program, and 1+10=11, and this is 2011. By the time 2012 rolls around the world could be as aware of hemochromatosis as it is of cystic fibrosis (a terrible genetic condition, but one which is far less common than hemochromatosis).

On a more personal note, one of the many unwelcome things that hemochromatosis can do to a person is slow them down. Would you believe that the original title of this piece was “Happy New Year!” But it has taken me until now to finish writing this. Not that I have hemochromatosis, but my partner does, and helping her cope can take quite a bit of time and energy, particularly in a winter like the one we are having at the moment (talk about energy consumption!). However, I have managed to keep up with messages posted over on the Fighting Hemochromatosis Facebook page where topics have included:

• Genetic testing for hemochromatosis and the role of GINA, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.
• The disposition of blood from hemochromatosis phlebotomies, and the FDA list of approved blood donation centers.
• The current pricing of genetic testing for hemochromatosis, including the $199 package currently offered at 23andMe.
• The wealth of information on hemochromatosis available from the Iron Disorders Institute and their new website at hemochromatosis.org.

If you have not visited or “liked” the Fighting Hemochromatosis Facebook page please do so. Every little bit of support helps.

In the next few weeks I hope to finish up some other hemochromatosis articles I have been working on. So here’s hoping for a break in the weather! Wishing you all a Happy Rest of the Year.