Last week I signed up with the Million Veteran Program at the VA. All it took was twenty minutes of my time and a tube of blood to participate in a program whose results could be invaluable; results that could change healthcare and improve it for generations to come.
Why do some people who smoke never get lung cancer? Why were some affected by Agent Orange in Vietnam while some with the same exposure were not? Why are some Veterans at a greater risk for developing an illness? How can we prevent certain illnesses in the first place? What factors in a person’s DNA protects them when exposed to hazardous, even deadly toxins? Answering these types of questions is the goal of the Million Veteran Program (MVP). To answer these questions and more, MVP will establish one of the “largest databases of genetic, military exposure, lifestyle, and health information” in the United States. It is their hope to enroll one million Veterans over the next five to seven years.
Our genes determine who we are and what we look like. When combined with our environment and our lifestyle, genes may also contribute to our risk for disease. Overall, a better understanding of how genes work may help to prevent, and improve treatment of, disease. The program will study the genes of Veterans and their lifestyles to compare which genes are linked to which health traits or environments. This knowledge could lead to better treatments and preventive measures for many diseases, including common illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
This study is important to me. It is important to me for my children, my grandchildren, and future generations to come. I’m proud to be a part of it. You can sign up through your local VA. The initial visit for the blood draw and paperwork is all you have to do. Your active participation ends there, but the study of your genes will go on and hopefully help solve some of the medical mysteries in this world. If you are a Veteran receiving medical care through the VA system, you are eligible to sign up for this program. Please do so at your earliest opportunity!
