What happens when you grow up not knowing your family medical history?
People who have been adopted or are in care sometimes struggle to access family medical history which could be crucial to their own health.
When Aaliyah found a lump in her breast, she worried about a possible genetic predisposition to cancer. However, she had no way of knowing her family's medical history due to being adopted at the age of seven months. The lump turned out to be non-cancerous, but Aaliyah struggled with unanswered questions about her biological family's health.
She spent years trying to access information through local authorities and eventually filed an official data access request, which finally revealed her family's history, including her biological mother's struggle with eating disorders. Knowing about such health issues could have helped Aaliyah understand her own medical concerns better.
In the UK, when a child is adopted, their NHS number is changed, and their medical records should be merged with their new record, but this does not always include their wider family medical history. Some local authorities offer support for adoptees up to 21 or 25 years old, but the ease of access can vary. Following Aaliyah's experience, Bradford Council promised to strengthen their approach and offer clearer information about available support.
Dr Chris Tennyson, a clinical psychologist, also faced a delay in discovering his biological father's genetic medical condition due to lack of information about his adoption history. Similarly, Courtney-Grace, a first-time mother, was relieved to learn that her daughter would have access to her family's medical history, which she lacked during her upbringing.
Written by urgent.news from BBC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
