Biological Reflection Essay

I was a barrel-shaped child, a physical characteristic I’ve augmented over the years, particularly after the birth of my son. This stockiness hid a tree-trunk-like strength and gave me a low center of gravity that often came in handy during later adolescent squabbles. Most of my family members share this body shape. Short and stocky is more the rule than the exception and my maternal grandfather and uncles all reflect this physical quality. Unfortunately, we also share a darker familial history of heart disease. My family has born the burden of clogged arteries, cholesterol problems, and high blood pressure. This trait has been passed from generation to generation and it is one I fear I will pass on to my children.
My grandfather was the son of a Southern Pacific railroad engineer. He devoured cowboy novels and locomotive lore until the bookshelves in his home bowed dangerously and threatened to collapse under the weight of knowledge about the Old West and the steam trains that crossed it. Several years ago, after some uncharacteristic episodes of forgetfulness and falling, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In the beginning, he forgot names and relationships. Then the volumes of stories he would tell me as a child about growing up on the rails faded. He began calling my wife by another woman’s name, even though just a year earlier he’d attended our wedding. He forgot who his father was. One spring day, my grandmother called the family to their home. My grandfather had fallen that morning and was resting when we arrived. After sitting quietly next to him on his bed, I asked him how he felt. He began crying, something he had never done in front of me before, and stated matter-of-factly that he was dying. Looking back, I see this was as much an admission to himself as it was a confession to his grandson. He was sad, he told me, but he was also angry that it had come to this (R. Johnson, personal communication, 2000). That after two heart attacks and a...