World Encephalitis Day is February, 22, each year – just remember 222. This is a day for all of us affected by encephalitis, whether we are patients, family members, doctors, researchers, or caregivers, to come together and talk about our experiences with brain inflammation and the many forms it takes. While we at the Autoimmune …
AE Alliance Blog
The AE Alliance blog endeavors to educate, inspire hope and build a community among patients, families and caregivers. This blog is written for families, patients, caregivers and anyone interested in learning more about autoimmune encephalitis.
“Miracle Flights” provides free medical flights to specialized care and second opinions
“Miracle Flights for Kids” is a Las Vegas based non-profit that provides free medical flight to kids and their families to see specialized caregivers and to seek second opinions. Miracle Flights contacted AEA last year and asked if we would help spread the word about their work. Their mission is “to improve access to health care by …
AE patient stars in commercial for Ronald McDonald House
Hailey Bekos and her family star alongside Cody Calafiore, a former contestant from CBS’s “Big Brother,” to promote Philadelphia’s Ronald McDonald House. Hailey is a 15 year old recovering from autoimmune encephalitis. When she first contracted the disease two years ago she lost the ability to walk, talk, and control her body. Now, thanks to …
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offering course on effectively dealing with autoimmune diseases
As part of UNC’s School of Medicine, the “Program on Integrative Medicine,” is offering a five week course titled “The Immunology of Autoimmune Disease, Inflammation and Chronic Infection: A Research-Based Functional Medicine Perspective.” WEDNESDAYS: 6:30pm-8:30pm, February 17– March 16, 2016. ***Please note change in course dates*** Taught by Dr. Sam Yanuck, whose functional medicine practice …
The diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune encephalitis
The diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune encephalitis Eric Lancaster J Clin Neurol. 2016 Jan; 12(1): 1-13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712273/ Autoimmune encephalitis causes subacute deficits of memory and cognition, often followed by suppressed level of consciousness or coma. A careful history and examination may show early clues to particular autoimmune causes, such as neuromyotonia, hyperekplexia, psychosis, dystonia, or …

AE Families Come Together
If you are reading this you already know that autoimmune encephalitis can be an isolating experience. That’s one reason the Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance organizes and hosts the AE Family Lunch in association with the Florence Forth run-walk in Durham, NC. This year the AE Family Lunch will take place on March 5, 2016. All AE patients and families …
New study on body’s response to inflammatory pathogens could lead to new therapeutic controls
The body can control inflammatory response triggered by invasions of microbial pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, a discovery that could lead to the development of new therapeutic agents for uncontrolled inflammation, according to researchers at Georgia State University. Read the fill article at Inflammatory Response Study .

Rama’s Story – Part 3 of 3
As his mom, Brenna, describes him, “Rama’s best gifts have always been his sweetness and compassion to animals. He has always been a creative kid, telling stories with his Legos, doing art, and climbing trees.” In this three-part post, we hope you will enjoy getting to know Rama and his family’s story, as relayed by …

Rama’s Story – Part 2
As his mom, Brenna, describes him, “Rama’s best gifts have always been his sweetness and compassion to animals. He has always been a creative kid, telling stories with his Legos, doing art, and climbing trees.” In this three-part post, we hope you will enjoy getting to know Rama and his family’s story, as relayed by …

Meet a cute Colorado kid with AE and read his family’s story
As we begin a new year we want to share a story with you. It is the story of a cute Colorado kid named Rama. We hope the detailed experiences of Rama and his family will offer personal insights that each of us can understand. The family moves from confusion to diagnosis to care to healing …