(March 29, 2010)--Yana Haber of Twinsburg was in the throes of planning her wedding with her fiance when her future mother-in-law suggested the couple take advantage of a free screening program for Jewish genetic diseases.

"We first kind of laughed it off," Haber said. "We were healthy, we were young. We had never thought about it."
Then last summer, they attended a short presentation given by Leslie Cohen, a genetics counselor with the Center for Human Genetics at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. Afterward, one partner in each of the 40 Jewish couples was tested for Tay-Sachs disease, cystic fibrosis and 10 other conditions.

Nathan Haber, 28, Yana's fiance, found out that he is a carrier for the gene that causes Tay-Sachs. So Yana, 23, had her blood tested as well. She is not a carrier.

The couple married Oct. 30; they're expecting a baby in September.

People shouldn't be scared off by pre-pregnancy screening, Haber said. "Knowledge is power. It's really important to be educated." Read more...

Source: The Plain Dealer