Before I introduce to you our guest this episode, let share some context. In my family, my dad, my aunt, my uncle, and possibly my grandfather, all died from a fatal hereditary disease called Amyloidosis. As with many genetically hereditary diseases, I too had a 50/50 chance of having this disease. And for many years, I really hesitated to get tested to see if I myself had it.
Since there was no cure, I thought what was the point? Would it change the way I live? Would it make me cherish and make the most of life more? Or would it lead me down a downward spiral? Who knows?
Then one day after some nudging from love ones, I finally got the test. And that was how I knew our guest this episode Claire Egan. Claire was the genetic counselor who counseled me before the test to make sure I understood the implications of the results. And she was the one to deliver the news after. After I anxiously waited for weeks for the results, I finally got the news from Claire that my test came back negative. Meaning that I did not carry the fatal gene. And wow, that was such a relief.
But then it also got me thinking. Since genes have a 50/50 chance of passing down, for every good news Claire shares, there's someone else receiving devastating news. So how does someone like Claire tell such news? And how does someone do that on daily basis too? And why? What's her motivation for doing such deeply heavy yet very important work?
Listen to this fascinating episode to find out how Claire found her purpose in her work as a genetics counselor, and hear her advice on how you can find your purpose so you too can become a work in purpose.
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