Common themes in your bloodline?

[Greensleeves]

My father's family is from County Durham and my mother's from Suffolk, but interestingly there are engine drivers on both side of the family.  I think in those days it was a well-respected occupation, probably akin to an airline pilot nowadays.   

My great great grandfather was an engine driver and then became a railway agent and from photos taken at that  time, the family seemed quite prosperous.  Sadly though, the 1930s depression wiped that all out, and left my father's generation having to leave home to sleep rough in order to be able to claim the dole.

[Mr. Tibbs]

In my Dad's side of the family, we seem to have an awful lot of males biting off more than they can chew and so ending up bankrupt.  I also have a whole string of carters to carriers to haulage contractors to mechanical engineers in UK and, surprisingly, in the countries to which they emigrated.  Must be in the genes: the love of transport.

[RuthieB]

On my Dad's (Welsh)side, it's blacksmithing, on my Mam's (English) it's grocers especially around mining communities. Not forgetting the well-balanced illegitimacy on both sides!

[Calverley Lad]

Mine drop dead before their time
My father had 2 brothers and 4 sisters, not one reached 60years old.
The sisters having families have each had children die in turn through heart failure.
Going back father son to 1500's the same problems came up. (possibly missing a generation or so)
I myself having had open heart surgery after having a heart attack at 38years, eldest daughter having blood circulation problems.
 Brian

[IgorStrav]

Mine drop dead before their time
My father had 2 brothers and 4 sisters, not one reached 60years old.
The sisters having families have each had children die in turn through heart failure.
Going back father son to 1500's the same problems came up. (possibly missing a generation or so)
I myself having had open heart surgery after having a heart attack at 38years, eldest daughter having blood circulation problems.
 Brian

Gosh, Brian, is this something where Family History research comes in really helpful, because if you can't avoid this then at least you can be aware and take as many precautionary measures as possible? 

[Calverley Lad]

It was down to my eldest daughter doing the chasing about that most of the above information came to light.
During the last couple of years 1 cousin collapsed and died after returning from the local shop @62years old his elder brother (who had earlier had a heart transplant) passed away whilst awaiting a heart/lung transplant (the anti rejection drugs having damaged his lungs), just leaving 3 cousins left.
Seems our family connection is like 'dead people walking'?
 Brian (still taking the tablets)

[IgorStrav]

Definitely keep taking the tablets Brian. Buck the trend 

[Calverley Lad]

As a final postscript to my sorrow tale, my aged mother 90+years young has a bowel disease that required an operation to remove @18inches of bowel, my younger brother has had the identical procedure, whilst my youngest brother is clear.
Proves a point though 'you can choose your friends but not your family'.
 Brian

[Ayashi]

Aside from old age, I think by far the two biggest killers in my family are cancer and strokes, although not of the same type... I'm collecting enough different types of cancer it's like playing body part bingo. I have however noticed some themes, in that one side of my family had a direct line suffering bronchitis and/or emphysema and my cousin and her son have been diagnosed with COPD, so we suspect that's what they all had. The same line also seems to have a predisposition to depressive disorders, which myself and my mother suffering, her mother having some hints, her grandmother attempting suicide and her great grandmother dying after refusing to have an operation; unfortunately not a lot of information available to analyse that, given that it was, and mainly still is, a taboo subject. There's some suggestion that autistic spectrum disorders may also have a genetic link, but I don't know where that might have come from.