Kenzie, a nurse, and her mom Shannon are closer than the average mother and daughter, sharing a love of traveling together and their favorite foods. When Kenzie purchased 23andMe as a gift for herself and saw a BRCA1 variant in her 23andMe report, one of her first thoughts was “Could my mom have cancer and not know it?” She immediately knew she had to call her mom. “Mom, I have this gene, and I think you need to get tested.”

The two of them made appointments with their doctors for confirmatory testing. After doing so, both were able to take steps to minimize their risks. While Mackenzie is opting to go for a less aggressive route of frequent scans and discussing family planning options, Shannon (a cancer survivor), decided to go ahead with preventative surgeries to lower her risk of developing BRCA-associated cancers.

Both have found new inspiration and an even closer bond throughout their journey. “I'm really proud of my mom, she's taken her health into her hands. Her life is the most important thing to me, she's had both surgeries and decreased her risk greatly. She wanted to show me that she will survive”

Melissa developed symptoms of a pulmonary embolism (PE), a blood clot in the lung, after a cross-country flight from Washington to Boston for a nurses conference. The symptoms were atypical but as an RN she knew after a few days that something was wrong. Her 23andMe results showing she had the markers for Factor V Leiden (which is associated with a slightly increased risk of developing harmful blood clots) prompted Melissa to go to the ER in Boston before taking a return flight.

Trusting her nurse's instinct, she pushed to get confirmatory testing done. “I am not typically really insistent, but I was really insistent on this. I am absolutely sure it's going to happen again and I may not have another chance. And I wasn't willing to take that chance again.” They confirmed via a blood test and CAT scan that she had developed a PE.

She began taking a blood thinner right away so she could fly home. Melissa credits her knowledge of the gene with empowering her to take her health into her own hands. “Because I was aware of that gene, and my doctors were aware of that gene, that continues to save my life.”

As both an athlete and as a professional who studies the metrics of cycling, Steven Diffey takes health and wellness seriously. His 23andMe results, combined with his own knowledge and research, lead to him to make changes to his training regimen. They also help him understand why he excels at shorter sprints. He and his sister have both taken the test and he hopes more family members will soon.

Alec signed up for 23andMe because he was interested in knowing about his health. But his real surprise came from his ancestry findings. Knowing the facts changed his sense of identity and opened him up to new connections - people who share some of his DNA. He enjoys the bonds that are based upon science, not story, and says his 23andMe experience has put a big smile on his face.

When David joined 23andMe, he was fascinated by all the scientific implications of DNA testing. He was particularly keen to discover his Neanderthal ancestry and how it fits in with migration patterns throughout Europe and Asia. An academic working in the field of social linguistics, David has made his own migration – traveling from his native South Africa to the UK for work. He continues to review his 23andMe results regularly and finds it gives him interesting perspectives.

Italian Elena Falleti moved to the UK 26 years ago when she first met her husband. She has an inquisitive mind and was first drawn to 23andMe because she wanted to know if she may be at increased risk for certain diseases. What surprised her was how engaging the whole experience was - from the information she learned about herself, to the way that information was delivered. She found some surprises in her ancestry and learned more about her genetic traits and health risks - some which were consistent with her personal experience.

A health scare in the family prompted Sally Redfern to look into genetic testing, as a way to learn more about her own traits and health risks. But what surprised her were her ancestry reports. They launched her on a journey to discover more about her biological father (whom she never knew) and her extended family. She has discovered DNA relatives all over the world and is building an understanding of her family history.

Tammi Willis, her sister Kim and brother-in-law Gareth share these traits: intellectual curiosity and a passion for health. So it made sense for all three of them to test their DNA with 23andMe. What did they discover? That yes, Kim and Tammi are full-blooded sisters, even though Kim often wondered if her darker complexion hinted at some exotic ancestry. That no, Gareth does not have a common risk factor for Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease, even though some family members have the disease. And yes, the grandfather who changed his surname in 1914 may have been the source of Kim and Tammi's Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.

When Sophie Palmer's family took her out for a birthday tea and surprised her with the 23andMe kit as a gift, she was nearly in tears. Sophie studies biology and genetics and had wanted to test her own DNA for a long time. She knew the kind of fascinating information that was waiting for her. Sophie discovered a few surprises and some confirmations of genealogy research her grandfather had started. Next she wants to dig into the raw data to learn as much as she can about her genetics.

Disclaimer:
This data has undergone a general quality review however only a subset of markers have been individually validated for accuracy. The data from 23andMe’s Browse Raw Data feature is suitable only for informational use and not for medical, diagnostic or other use. Consult with a healthcare professional before making any major lifestyle changes.

Sabrina Peoples battled health issues for years — stomach pain, low energy and a general malaise. It got worse as she got older. She tried 23andMe for the ancestry, not thinking much about the health reports. When she saw she was likely lactose intolerant, she was shocked. She met with her doctor and he did testing to confirm the test result. Right away Sabrina cut out all dairy and she immediately began to feel better. Now she has plenty of energy and feels fantastic.

Liz Rawlings is an avid genealogist - and has been since she was 14 years old. She became interested in DNA testing as part of a community effort to explore the Flemish roots of her small village in Wales. What she discovered surprised her - instead of the French & German ancestry that she expected, she had a greater percentage of British & Irish ancestry. She even has a dash of Viking DNA, which she thinks might be the source of her daughter's red hair!