So, you’ve been reading over the last few months about my little side project** as a writer for 23andMe. The posts I’ve written over the weeks have been a real accounting of how the results have been profound for me and my family. I may sound like a broken record on this, but I can’t adequately describe to you how informative and eye-opening this has been for me…. and I want to share this experience with one of my readers, so….
Now, you can win your very own DNA testing kit from 23andMe! This kit has a retail value of $399 and gives you access to detailed information about your traits, ancestry, and health predispositions.
All you need to do is comment to this post and answer one of the following questions:
“Why are you interested in winning the DNA testing kit?”
“Are you concerned about a specific condition or disease that has a history in your family?”
“What kind of mysteries would you love to uncover about your ancestry?”
The Giveaway Rules:
-Answer one of the above questions in the comment section of this post and ALSO provide your e-mail address within your comment.
-One entry per person.
-I will choose ONE winner at random from all correctly submitted entries received prior to 12:00PM EST on Monday, June 15th.
-Winner is responsible for any applicable taxes.
-This giveaway is open to legal U.S. residents ONLY, 18 years or older. Contest winners can ship kits to any state listed in the www.23andme.com store.
Here’s a link to the official rules.
Remember, don’t forget to include your e-mail address in your comment. Valid entries must have an e-mail address to which I can notify the winner!
Good luck!
**Full disclosure: I was a paid subcontractor for 23andMe, and also received my DNA testing kit for free.
Posted by Megan on June 10, 2009 at 11:24 am
“Are you concerned about a specific condition or disease that has a history in your family?”
Yes, my beloved mother died of type 1 diabetes – and she always believed her grandmother (undiagnosed) did as well. I don’t have it , but it makes me concerned for my children, but there are no current early testing for childhood diabetes- they wait for symptoms. Would love to uncover more information.
Megan at mbooth underscore 98 at yahoo dot com
Posted by suki on June 10, 2009 at 1:39 pm
“Why are you interested in winning the DNA testing kit?”
I’m interested in winning one to figure out what’s in my genes and what I can do about it! Both sets of my grandparents had different conditions – diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure… And also, neither of my parents are as tall as I am. Wondering where that came from.
Any other information would be neat!
slightlydelightful at gmail
Posted by Christina on June 10, 2009 at 1:48 pm
“Are you concerned about a specific condition or disease that has a history in your family?”
I’m very concerned about my risks for heart disease and breast cancer. About half of my family has heart disease, and I’d like to know my risks before I get older and get surprised. I had a great aunt who had breast cancer, too, and I wonder if there are any risks for it genetically.
Posted by Lee on June 10, 2009 at 2:15 pm
“Are you concerned about a specific condition or disease that has a history in your family?”
Though I think 23andMe is a great program, if I won, I wouldn’t use it on myself. [I'd rather purchase my own and do it.] But my circle of family and friends don’t exactly have the best documented history.
I’m first generation in the United States and I’d send the DNA kit to my friend’s family or my parents.
Posted by Jeff on June 10, 2009 at 2:16 pm
“Are you concerned about a specific condition or disease that has a history in your family?
I am the father of a 1 year old boy who only has one grandparent having lost his two Grandfathers to Cancer and a Grandmother to a stroke and his other grandmother has a strong family history of Alzheimers.
A concerned Dad. bloemker@mail.com
Posted by fngkestrel on June 10, 2009 at 2:35 pm
“Are you concerned about a specific condition or disease that has a history in your family?”
My parents have had a share of illnesses come up. Gout, hypothyroid, and hypertension to name a few. I’d just like to know what my predisposition is towards these and what kind of lifestyle changes I should make to ensure my quality of life.
rfan at rantingfan dot com
Posted by Melissa on June 10, 2009 at 2:48 pm
“Why are you interested in winning the DNA testing kit?”
My husband is adopted and I honestly have no medical history for his side of the family, so this could make a huge difference in our lives. Steve refuses to find out any information regarding his biological family and while I am completely supportive of that, it does on occasion bother me that I have no medical history for his side of the family for my kids. All i know is that he is Greek and I would love to know more so I can share some paternal geneology with our kids and their future generations, not to mention being able to alert them for being predisposed to certain illnesses or diseases.
Momlissa
momlissa05@yahoo.com
Posted by Chris P on June 10, 2009 at 3:46 pm
“Are you concerned about a specific condition or disease that has a history in your family?”
My mother’s mother had several eye disorders and was fully blind in one eye and had a very narrow field of vision in the other to leave her legally blind. I am concerned about diseases of the eye that I may have inherited–especially retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma.
Posted by Photogrl on June 11, 2009 at 11:05 am
“Are you concerned about a specific condition or disease that has a history in your family?”
Yes. My mother died at 55 from Ovarian cancer, when I was 28 years old. I often look at my daughter and worry that I’ll only be around for a tiny part of her adult life. Even though, I know the symptoms and tests I need to watch for it, to know that I’m genetically wired to a higher risk for it, would help me make sure I get the care I need to be here for my daughter.
thegarlands37 at yahoo dot com
Posted by Lauren on June 11, 2009 at 11:52 am
My mother passed away from breast cancer, and I have no other female relatives (she was an only child, and her mom passed away many years ago), so I wonder whether I am predisposed to the disease as well. And my husband and I are just starting out trying to conceive, and with my background (Jewish), I wonder what other genetic diseases I should be worried about.
Posted by divrchk on June 11, 2009 at 6:12 pm
I’d love to find out more about diabetes – my sister was diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes when she was 9. My family came from Russia so that would be cool to see how that plays into my being.
Posted by turmeric on June 11, 2009 at 6:24 pm
“What kind of mysteries would you love to uncover about your ancestry”?
My background is a mishmash of south american and a melange of european ancestry- and with those traits come an immense amount of postiive, and negative predispositions. I’d love to find out if a certain ancestry has expressed itself more than others- and if some of the similiarties I have to my great grandparents are more than coincidental (like my immense hunger for tasty things!)
Posted by Rachel on June 12, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I’d like to know more about my genetic background because I know very little about my father’s side of the family.
Posted by Tim on June 12, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I’d like to find out more about genetic predispositions in my family.
Posted by Penny on June 12, 2009 at 7:13 pm
“Why are you interested in winning the DNA testing kit?”
My son was conceived through donor sperm and I would like to have him tested to see what he is predisposed to. Although, I wouldn’t mind using the test on myself either.
Penny
n2myown02@yahoo.com
Posted by amy on June 13, 2009 at 3:19 am
“What kind of mysteries would you love to uncover about your ancestry?”
It would be really fun to have a kit and get one for my sister, and then compare different results to see how we are the same and different at a very fundamental genetic level. We look alike and have very different personalities, but have had some similar bad luck with health issues in the past. It would be fun to peer into our past and futures a little, with the help of some actual genetic data!
bobnamy at yahoo dot com
Posted by andrew on June 13, 2009 at 12:09 pm
“What kind of mysteries would you love to uncover about your ancestry?”
my mom does a lot of genealogy work, and it would cool to have some confirmation of whether her work is accurate or not. she’s tracker her family back about 300 years to europe. i’d love to see if there are some surprises in there.
andrewDOTellisAtgmailDOTcom
Posted by Rachel on June 14, 2009 at 4:53 pm
“Why are you interested in winning the DNA testing kit?”
I’m interested because while I have some general info about our family’s health history, I don’t have a complete or (I suspect) accurate picture. I’m not in touch with anyone who could tell me anything I don’t know and everyone else who could has passed already.
I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to live as long as I can, and this information would be very valuable.
destinationbaby (at) gmail (dot) com