[JohnJames]

Hi all. I just received some news from my parent that they was diagnosed with MDS. When they were telling me about it I never really displayed any type of concern because I had ZERO clue what MDS was at the time. They told me that their doctor said their blood test indicated that they is no where near needing a transfusion or bone marrow procedure and that all they would do is check their blood monthly. But after doing some research online afterwards, im starting to see that its a very serious disease and its scaring the crap out of me. I dont know any doctors and me and my parent live in separate states so going to their appointments with them is kind of out of the question. I was hoping the community could help me with a few things:

Is MDS always fatal? My parent is early 60's and in phenomenal health. Some prognosis online I have been reading say low risk patients have a 6 year prognosis. They didnt mention any of this and probably wont to me. Do people live long lives with this?

Is MDS hereditary? I have 3 siblings and 3 children of my own. Are any of us at risk for developing it later down the road?

They go to Vanderbilt for all their treatments and stuff. Is this considered a good hospital for MDS? I know its one of the best Neuro hospitals in the country but dont know much about its Oncology credentials.

Very nervous and very scared right now. Thank you in advance.