‘Ticking away in the back of my mind’: what does it mean to know the risk embedded in your DNA?

A scheme aims to help Australia become the first country to offer preventive genetic testing through public healthcare. Is that knowledge power?

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Mortality has always been on Perry Jones' mind, much more so than your average 20-something. She's dealt with a number of challenging health conditions since her teens, so when her mother urged her to be screened for the BRCA1 variant and BRCA2 variant gene a couple of years ago (both of which indicate a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer) she didn't exactly jump at the chance.

Jones, who has type 1 diabetes, coeliac disease and spinal development issues, speaks about her dealings with the health system in the world-weary way of someone who's been in and out of waiting rooms her whole life.

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