ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Twelve-year-old Harrison Fields was resentful when he learned that his two more popular siblings inherited the bulk of his family’s genetic disorders.
Both sides of the Fields family have long histories of various hereditary diseases, and testing their children was imperative. Fourteen-year-old Miranda and 10-year-old John went with Harrison to learn which siblings got which disorders.
The family gathered in the living room as their father unveiled the results of the testing. Each child took their paper hesitantly and unfolded it. Miranda and John quickly noted their numerous positive test results and sighed in relief.
“Miranda always gets everything she asks for because she’s the oldest,” bemoaned Harrison, his eyes scanning down the negative test results in disbelief. “And my parents give John all the attention because he’s the youngest. Where does that leave me?”
“I knew we forgot someone when we passed on our genetic material,” admitted their mother. “We still love him just the same, but it slipped our minds.”
Miranda and John made promises to continue the family tradition and pass down all their inherited disorders to their offspring, while Harrison stood by awkwardly.