When I sequenced the first complete human genome—my own—in 2007, I learned I carried one of the genes associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Like many, I began to worry that the memory changes associated with normal aging were a sign that I was seeing the early stages of the disease. Due to these concerns, I had brain MRI scans and PET MRI to look for amyloid in my brain. It was a great relief to learn that my MRI showed no sign of Alzheimer’s disease and the PET MRI was completely negative. This experience taught me that genetic data are a risk factor, not a diagnostic, and that we need clinical testing in conjunction with genomic sequencing as the starting point of preventive medicine.