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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 treatment […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
As we are in the midst of the holiday season, what better way to celebrate than with a survivor’s story. We are grateful for Brittany’s willingness to write about her illness trusting that it might give some peace (especially this time of year) to the AEA community. MY DARK WINTER By: Brittany DiCapua They say that […]
The AE Alliance turns 3 years old today! Three years ago on this date, two families that had kids with AE came together in hopes that they could start something to help others suffering from this little-understood disease. The vision was to not only disseminate information to help patients but also to give support to […]
The Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance is holding a strategic meeting on December 15. The board of directors and invited advisors are gathering in Durham, NC, with the goal of the thinking strategically regarding the organization. Based on this group’s recommendations, we expect to continue to set up structures that will empower the AE Alliance to increase […]
I am not a runner. I cringe at the thought of running. So naturally, when Susannah Cahalan told me about the Florence Forth Road Race in Durham NC, I was a bit skeptical. However, when she added that there would be fellow survivors of autoimmune encephalitis attending, I made my decision to go. There were […]
We are all survivors of autoimmune encephalitis. Patients, families, friends, caretakers, doctors, nurses, rehabilitation specialists, we have all endured the worst this disease can throw at us. And we are surviving. This weekend I had the chance to meet four amazing survivors. Each has their own story to tell. They shared the same stage: a six-year-old […]
After my daughter became sick at the age of two-and-a-half, my husband and I began a quest to find a doctor who could identify what was ailing her and treat her. Six years and 20 doctors in four states later, we were told she had autoimmune encephalitis (AE). The AE Alliance wants to make stories […]