Celtic Curse

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 potential

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 hemochromatosi