Emily Kwong

Back in the 90s, doctors found a rare form of cancer in Maori families, and they traced it to a mutation in the CDH1 gene.

Now, this gene encodes a protein that normally orients and aligns cells in the stomach.

But without it, Sarah Zhang writes, the cells become, quote, lopsided, rogue, and possibly cancerous.

Any parent with a mutation in the gene has a 50% chance of passing it on to their children.

The reason doctors even know about the gene at all is because of one Maori woman, Maybel McLeod.

So Sarah, let's pick up with her story.

What did Maybel do when she realized her family had a history of stomach cancer?

It's like a science sleuthing story.

She's like, there is an answer to this, and I think it could help us.

So I'm going to go get those answers for myself.

So what does the McLeod family ultimately do and find?

This family wanted answers for themselves.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Wow.

So because of Maybel's work, they discover this connection between stomach cancer and this particular gene, CDH1.

Maybelle didn't have it, but Karen Peringatai, who we met at the top of the episode, did.

She now faces an agonizing decision to remove her stomach or not.

She did decide to go through with the procedure in 2010.

What is that procedure like to get your stomach removed?