Kathy Williams

For the sixth year in succession, the U.S. Surgeon General's Office has declared Thanksgiving, "Family Health History Day." I guess it is logical with the day providing the nexus of gut-stuffing food excess and the ultimate in couch potato activity: Exercise by proxy.

It's probably better than other times when families gather. "Isn't it too bad Uncle Bo didn't know about Great Aunt Harriet's high blood pressure and diabetes before he put on that extra 200 pounds," likely would be a hurtful exchange at Bo's family night. Other relatives might find it gauche if we brought up the family's tendencies toward mental illness at Cousin Julie's wedding. So Thanksgiving might be the best assembly day for families to search collective memories for health data.

But how does one broach the subject? "Speaking of record breaking runs, didn't Grandpa's arthritis act up whenever he ate spinach?" or "You'd have to be crazy to call that play, what's that idiot get paid for?"

"An important first step in preventing illness is learning about health conditions in our families that may put us at risk for inheriting diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, mental illness, and many others," said Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin. "Discussing family health information with each other can often uncover things you never knew, simply because no one ever asked."

So her office has made this easy with a family health history tree to fill out at https://familyhistory.hhs.gov. And family members can print out the results and take it to their doctors. The site doesn't keep the information.

Happy "Thanksgiving Day" birthday to Gail Grigg and John Mark Lavender, both of Sherman; Kiry Davis, Brenden Strickland, Katy Adair and Elane Tuley, all of Denison; Al Kent of Calera, Okla.; Bill Hall of Luella; Gene Ellison of Bells; Elnora Geer of McKinney; Mary Allison Gorden of Purdom, Texas; Lanie Fajerson, Colton Campbell and Barby Loftice.

Happy "Thanksgiving Day" anniversary to Glenn and June Whitaker of Van Alstyne, 66 years; Douglas and Linda Lay of Bonham, 39 years.