KILGORE MEDICAL HISTORY & DUPUYTREN'S DISEASE by Johnny Kilgore

Almost all of my blogspots focus on memories of our relatives—parents, grandparents,  aunts, uncles, and cousins.    Remembering the “good old days”  is the main  reason for the “Kilgore Cousins” blog.  This particular posting has a different twist, and at the same time, centers on a subject that is a part of the Kilgore family heritage.

During the Fall 2014, my wife, Pat and I went to Orange Beach, Alabama with a wonderful group of people from our church.  During our time there, Pat and I visited  in the home of our cousins, Ken and Nelda Schultz of Gulf Shores, Alabama.  We had a wonderful meal and sat around and talked about family.  During the conversation, Nelda  mentioned to me the possibility of using our Kilgore Cousins blog and FB site to acquire data on the different diseases, illnesses, and causes of death that runs in our  family ancestry…in other words,  chronicle the Kilgore medical history. 

As you know, when we go to the doctor’s office, one of the multiple forms we usually have to fill out is our medical history.  I believe Nelda’s idea  carries merit.  Therefore, at some point in the future, with the help of Nelda and her daughter, Heidi,   we plan  to make inquiry from all the relatives to see if we can make inroads to documenting just that—the medical history of Virge and Sarah Kilgore and their descendants.  It will be a rather large undertaking.  It is difficult to retrieve family information such as this because we tend to be very private people—a trait that our grandparents exemplified.  Certainly there is the right to privacy in matters such as this, but  any information may be helpful to our children down the road. 

Let me give you a perfect example of what I’m talking about.  There is a disease that is a part of the male members of the Kilgore family’s genetics that has already made its presence known in my father, Cecil Kilgore, my brothers, Mike and Ricky Kilgore, and my cousins, Herbert, Jimmy, and Jerry Kilgore.  My personal physician is even keeping a close look on me because I have the early signs of the same hereditary disease.  Needless to say, I’m very concerned.  It could possible affect my playing the piano if it were to show its ugly head in full force. But right now, I’m fine.   

What is this disease?  It is called Dupuytren’s Contractor, or Dupuytren’s Disease, or sometimes Celtic Hand Disease.  My daddy had a severe case of Dupuytren’s.  My two brothers have had hand surgery because of the severity of the disease.  That is also true of my cousins, Herbert and Jimmy Kilgore.  If you wish to know more you can connect to the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dupuytren's_contracture

You can “Google” search, or “bing” to find  additional information on the subject.  This may be the first time you have every heard of the disease.  We Kilgore’s tend to not talk about what ails us.  It seems to be a part of our DNA.  My brother, Mike was the first one to educate me personally about Dupuytren’s Disease.  I wasn’t even aware that my daddy had the same thing.  Although the use of his hand was greatly hampered, he compensated in a way that allowed him to function.  I’m grateful that I know about Dupuytrn’s because that awareness  will help to determine and explain future directions in treating it.  I’m sure that can be true of other tendencies that are part of our medical makeup.  Think about it, and we will see what unfolds in the months ahead in acquiring family information such as this. I would to hear what you think of this idea.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.