LAUREN PARROTT: September 2013

Hi, everybody. Today...I am going to be talking about MS and
genetics. I know that I've always been curious to know where my MS came from, and I'll get to that in a minute. But I first want to talk about where I got the information.

This is a magazine. It's called "The Motivator". It's from the MS
Association's website, and it comes in the mail. So I'm sure if you look online, I found their website. It's just www.msassociation.org. Or you can call at 800-532-7667, extension 120, and you can get this magazine. It's really great. They have pretty awesome articles, and you can hear more about different things happening with MS.

But I am going to be talking about genetics today. It was a fascinating article. So I thought I would read you some information that I found that I thought may be useful for you to know. So, it starts by saying: "MS is the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults other than a traumatic experience, and the cause remains unknown. But it is increasingly recognized that genes, environment and interactions thereof are all important."

"While it is clear that genes have roles in MS susceptibility and probably disease progression, understanding and dissecting the relative roles of genes and environment remain topics of intensive research." So even when I read this article and the information I'm going to give you now, everything is all kind of up in the air.

But I talked to my neurologist and he said, "Yeah, it's definitely related to your genetics." In the article it talks about identifying specific chromosomes and things like that. I won't bore you with that because it gets really detailed. But it's important to know, it was interesting to read, but I'm going to give you the basics.

So, about genes, it says, "What can be said is that genes have some role in susceptibility to MS, but exact mechanisms remain unclear. Genetic studies in MS have clearly shown that increased frequency of MS seen within families of result of relatives sharing DNA. In the 1980s it was recognized that first degree relatives like your parents, your children, and your siblings of MS patients have the disease more often than more distant relatives."

First degree relatives were shown to have a re-occurrence risk for MS of three to five percent, and that's really low in my opinion. It's incredibly frustrating for me because nobody in my family has MS. My parents don't have it. My brother doesn't have it. Thank God. I'm really happy that they
don't because I feel like I've always been a very positive, optimistic person. So if anyone in my family was going to get MS, I'm glad it was me because I feel like I've been able to handle it very well.

But it's really frustrating, and when I was diagnosed I figured, "Okay, well I know that it could be a lot worse." I've met people, I've met children that are in a lot worse condition than I am and will ever be. So I know I just try to make the best of every day and live life to the fullest, and I hope that you all do that too.

But now I would like to talk about environment. There are two kinds of environments which individuals can share. First is the common family environment like in your home, and the second is the more widespread, population-based environment. It says, "Well, DNA sharing is key in
families with more than one member with MS. This does not mean that MS is
entirely a genetic disease."

This was really interesting. It says, "In fact, this is confirmed by twin
studies among other evidence. Identical twins share 100 percent of their
genetic material and yet, if one twin has MS the risk for the co-twin to
have MS as well is 34 percent. So, when you think about it, if someone is
sharing 100 percent of your DNA, you would think that the chance that if 1%
has MS, your twin should have MS, too. Right? Because you're sharing your
DNA.

But that's not the case and that's because of genes and chromosomes, and
all the technical things that I don't really understand. So I understood it
when I was reading it, but I feel like you should all read it if you're
interested to make the best sense of it, or talk to your doctor. It says,
"This suggests that environmental factors also play a role. So if one twin
has MS and the other twin does not, the environment can play into reasons
why."

It says, "Some environmental risk for factors for MS must act at a very
early time period as some factors at the beginning of life, like any
utero," when you're in your mommy's belly, "they're determinants of the
future of a risk for MS. Also within regions of a temperature climate, the
incidence and prevalence of MS increases with latitude, meaning the
distance from the equator."

"For instance, the prevalence of MS in a temperate climate farther from the
equator is 75.6 per 100,000 people, compared with a prevalence of 11 per
100,000 people in a tropical climate closer to the equator." That's a
pretty big difference, but I like temperate climates. Maybe it's because I
grew up in a temperate climate in Michigan. But maybe it's just me. I don't
know.

I would prefer not to live closer to the equator. I would pray for not to
live in a tropical environment. Again, that's because I didn't grow up like
that. But to each their own. If that's what you would like, more power to
you.

I really hope this was helpful for anybody that was interested with MS and
genetics.....

I'm definitely planning on having my own children because it is a three to
five percent chance that I could pass it along. But again, my parents don't
have MS, so it's just one of those things in life that I have to deal with
and I pray to God that it doesn't happen to my children. But if it does, I
think they're going to be fine because I'm okay and I guarantee I'll pass
on the positivity.

So, I hope you're all doing really well. I hope you're doing okay in the
summer heat, and I will be talking to you soon. Okay, see you later. Bye-
bye.

This article in the Grosse Point News is about Lauren:

"Diagnosed with MS as a teenager, Lauren manages well with medication. At 23, she suffered a relaspe due to a culmination of three things — a car accident, the pressure of attending Michigan State University classes and working. It was then she decided to make a video to find other people with MS and post it on YouTube. "I want to show them what is happening," she said.

"I want people to know whatever challenge you are going through you can overcome. It is about attitude. I know from experience. I've been through a lot of devastating situations. I want people to know the difficulties can be overcome and you can keep going. You are not going to be happy 100 percent of the time but being positive is a lot better," she concluded.

Lauren Parrott’s primary job at WMTV is editing the master tapes
for shows. She has been an employee of WMTV for three years. In her office Lauren Parrott oversees five decks of monitors so shows are constantly aired on WMTV
That was 2007 and she has been making videos ever since, talking about symptoms and experiences to help other people. Her word has spread to 77 countries.

"With the videos, they (those afflicted with MS) know they are not alone," Parrott said. "They have an option to slow the progression of the disease. I'm a patient advocate. I want every person to be in the best condition they can be."

She wants people to know how her life changed from an active teenager to an adult handling the challenges of MS, coupled with pseudobulbar affect, yet still living a full life.

"I was active," Parrott said. "I used to run every day, sometimes twice a day."

When she was 16, her 17-year-old cousin was killed in an automobile accident.

"I was dealing with the emotions from that and I started having physical problems," Parrott said.

She was tripping and falling and was very emotional.

"Also, my body was going through changes and I didn't know what it was. I had an MRI and a spinal tap and was diagnosed with MS five days before graduation (from University Liggett School).

"How did it affect me? I was terrified," Parrott remembered. "I didn't know what MS was and I thought it was muscular dystrophy. I thought I would be confined to a wheelchair. I stopped running and being active. My left leg is weak.

"After the diagnosis, I gained 15 pounds. I learned to adapt. I used an elliptical and I lost the weight. As long as I take my medication, I can still live a normal life."

To maintain a normal life, Parrott entered MSU in August 2002 where she had to adapt to college life, moving from one side of campus to another and pacing herself.

"I used the bus," she said. "I didn't change my diet. I do have fatigue. When I'm tired, I sleep. In college I didn't have any classes at 8 a.m. If I stayed up to midnight or 1 a.m., the next day I slept in. I learned to listen to my body, to make an immediate decision," she said.

She went on to graduate from MSU earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication. In December, she will receive her master's degree in communications from Wayne State University. She fulfilled the requirements while a full-time employee of Grosse Pointe War Memorial's WMTV. You can see her program, "Things to Do at the War Memorial."

Television is a most comfortable venue for Parrott since she has been involved in media since age 10.

With her father, Michael, acting as the cameraman, elementary-aged Parrott went about town making "Young Viewpoint" for three years.

"Dad used to take me around to my interviews or on location. He held the camera," she said. "One of my first interviews was with the manager of Bruegger's Bagel, which had just opened."

Her show, "Parrott Talk," was aired on Grosse Pointe cable during her high school years, with her parents as producers.

"At MSU I was on a campus soap opera. I spent two years as an actress," she said with a laugh.

During Parrott's junior and senior years, she was a reporter for a local government access channel in Okemos reporting hard news.

She said she didn't find that as interesting as what she is doing at WMTV.

"It was an incredible experience," she said.

Parrott has been one of three WMTV's employees for three years.

"I love what I do here. I love to interview people in the community, the classes they are teaching and lectures. My goal is to focus on the positive things.

"I would love to go national, on my terms. I do have limitations."

After filming Mondays and Tuesdays, she said, she is exhausted. The rest of the week is editing the master tapes in her small office in the War Memorial's basement.

"There are five decks that are constantly running," she explained of how shows are aired.

Television may be Parrott's passion; maintaining a positive outlook for herself and others is her

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