• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Events
  • About us
  • Subscribe
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Letters to the Editor
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Boston Sports Institute, Wellesley

Genetic test helps Wellesley mom, daughter pinpoint disease

August 9, 2012 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley’s Kristen Whitaker and her young daughter Reagan are featured in an article titled “Good Genes” in the Aug. 20 edition of Time Magazine, which tells of how a genetic test led to their diagnosis of Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance (to read the entire article online you need to be a subscriber or you’ll have to pick up the print edition).

I swapped email with Kristen to learn a bit more:

The Time article is about people delving into their genetic profiles to learn more about their health. What led you to 23andMe? Is this an expensive procedure or something accessible to the typical person?

My primary care doctor, Mark Costa, with Enhanced Medical Care in Newton, recommended that I try 23andme to scan my genetic profile for a myriad of potential health conditions.  It cost $299.  When I read through my results, it revealed that I was at a significantly increased risk of having Celiac Disease.  I’d never even heard of Celiac before.  I’d suffered with stomach problems for over ten years and was repeatedly misdiagnosed.  With the results of my genetic test, Dr. Costa ordered blood tests which further suggested Celiac and then an endoscopy confirmed it.   Because it is genetic, I had my three kids tested and my 5-year old daughter, Reagan, was also positive.  She had been falling off the pediatric growth chart and was suffering from severe stomach aches.

Are you largely symptom free now?

Reagan is totally symptom free and is a much happier child since going gluten-free.  Her appetite has returned, she has gone through a massive growth spurt and she feels so much better.  It’s really amazing.  It’s taking longer for me to respond to the diet because I went undiagnosed for so long and the damage done to my body was so severe.

I’m increasingly running into people in town who are gluten intolerant. Did you have any inkling before? Has it been challenging to go gluten-free?

Going gluten-free was easy.  For Reagan and I, gluten is toxic.  It makes it easy to stay away.  It is challenging to eat out however, since most kids’ menus are filled with gluten.

How did Time wind up coming across you?

With Time magazine, it was uncanny timing.  I sent an email to 23andme last week, to tell them our story and how our lives have changed for the better since I did that genetic test.  Turns out they had a press inquiry two days prior from a Time reporter who was looking for a story just like ours.

Anything else worth noting?

Reagan and I have a motto, we have “Fun without the bun.”

print
Share

Filed Under: Health

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Linden Square, Wellesley
Write Ahead

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]
Wellesley Square ad
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
Admit Fit, Wellesley
image of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click here to read our Natick Report

Natick Report

Events Calendar

« January 2021 » loading...
S M T W T F S
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
Tue 26

Rum tasting and history talk

January 26 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Wed 27

Online history lecture: Petticoat Whalers

January 27 @ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Thu 28

January 28 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Most Read Posts

  • Wellesley Police arrest 3 juveniles following Crest Road-area car break-ins
  • Wellesley Business Buzz: Babson might want to study us; Downtown Starbucks temporarily closed; Sisters of Charity partners
  • Natick issues boil water alert due to E. coli, some Wellesley homes affected
  • 10 takeaways from the Town of Wellesley's FY20 annual report
  • Nearly half of Wellesley's available restaurant alcohol licenses are gathering dust

Pages

  • Wellesley coronavirus (COVID-19) updates
  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads
  • Wellesley, Mass., fishing spots
  • Please support our advertisers—they support us
  • Embracing diversity in Wellesley
  • Wellesley, MA Police logs
  • Wellesley Choral Society
  • Wellesley College Notable Alumnae
  • Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
  • Wellesley outdoor art gallery
  • Wellesley restaurants offering take-out and delivery
  • Wellesley, Massachusetts restaurant — Amarin of Thailand

Recent Comments

  • Paul Starcevich on Wellesley loses Everett (“Eddie”) Knowles, RDF volunteer, medical miracle
  • Dennis Noonan on Nearly half of Wellesley’s available restaurant alcohol licenses are gathering dust
  • Kim Powell on Bench at baseball field honors Wellesley’s Harry Clark
  • David Henry on Wellesley electrical boxes coming alive
  • Bob Brown on 10 takeaways from the Town of Wellesley’s FY20 annual report

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (4)
  • Animals (377)
  • Antiques (48)
  • Art (534)
  • Beyond Wellesley (28)
  • Books (342)
  • Business (1,356)
  • Camp (1)
  • Careers/jobs (44)
  • Churches (72)
  • Clubs (207)
  • Construction (280)
  • Dump (113)
  • Education (2,877)
    • Babson College (239)
    • Bates Elementary School (14)
    • Dana Hall School (29)
    • Fiske Elementary School (6)
    • Hardy Elementary School (33)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (34)
    • MassBay (47)
    • Schofield Elementary School (20)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (1)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (9)
    • Upham Elementary School (30)
    • Wellesley College (598)
    • Wellesley High School (883)
    • Wellesley Middle School (195)
  • Embracing diversity (37)
  • Entertainment (721)
  • Environment (664)
  • Fashion (133)
  • Finance (12)
  • Fire (141)
  • Food (327)
  • Fundraising (559)
  • Gardens (136)
  • Government (383)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
  • Health (736)
    • COVID-19 (133)
  • History (358)
  • Holidays (365)
  • Houses (118)
  • Humor (45)
  • Kids (814)
  • Law (3)
  • Letters to the Editor (5)
  • Media (63)
  • METCO (5)
  • Military (3)
  • Morses Pond (96)
  • Music (543)
  • Natick Report (27)
  • Neighbors (242)
  • Obituaries (58)
  • Outdoors (582)
  • Parenting (60)
  • Police (687)
    • Crime (344)
  • Politics (534)
  • Real estate (286)
  • Religion (127)
  • Restaurants (302)
  • Safety (142)
  • Scouts (1)
  • Senior citizens (107)
  • Shopping (121)
  • Sports (897)
  • STEM (104)
  • Technology (154)
  • Theatre (383)
  • Town Meeting (22)
  • Transportation (209)
  • Travel (11)
  • Uncategorized (1,205)
  • Volunteering (317)
  • Weather (161)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (258)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (5)
RSS Feed Icon Subscribe to RSS Feed

© 2021 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login