While game-day festivities drew many UF alumni to Gainesville this weekend, a health concern brought alumnus Mark Schneider and his wife, Jessica, both of Tampa, to town Sunday.
The Schneiders were among 130 Ashkenazi Jews, Jewish people who are of Eastern European decent, who came to UF Hillel to get a free screening for diseases that occur more frequently in Jewish populations from that region.
The blood screenings, which can cost up to $3,000 a person, were provided by the Victor Center for Jewish Genetic Diseases.
Dr. Deborah Barbouth, the principal investigator for the Miami center, said the tests will let participants know if they carry the gene for nine diseases, including cystic fibrosis and Tay-Sachs disease, a condition in which children become deaf, blind and unresponsive.
One in 25 Ashkenazi Jews may be a carrier of Tay-Sachs, whereas the chance is one in 300 for non-Ashkenazi Caucasian Jews, Barbouth said.
Schneider said he and his wife wanted to be screened before becoming pregnant.
"Even if one parent is a carrier, we feel that we should be careful," he said.
The screening was open to anyone 18 to 45 years old with at least one Ashkenazi relative, said Deborah Herbstman, the event coordinator. Herbstman said most participants were UF or SFC students.
The screening was the first of its kind at UF and may return next year, Herbstman said.
In six to eight weeks, the center will call all participants with the results from the blood samples, said genetic counselor Debbie Wasserman.
UF senior Mika Turim-Nygren said nobody in her family has any of the genetic diseases, but that doesn't mean she can't be a carrier.
Turim-Nygren said she plans to have children in the future.
"I want to know what kinds of genes I'm passing on to them," she said.
