The Family Gene

When Joselin Linder was in her twenties her legs suddenly started to swell. After years of misdiagnoses, doctors discovered a deadly blockage in her liver. Struggling to find an explanation for her unusual condition, Linder compared the medical chart of her father—who had died from a mysterious disease, ten years prior—with that of an uncle who had died under similarly strange circumstances. Clearly, Linder’s illness was more than a fluke—it was genetic. Here, she tells the story of their unique affliction. A compelling chronicle of survival and perseverance, The Family Gene is an important account of a young woman reckoning with her own mortality and her ethical obligations to herself and those closest to her.