Benefiting From Advances in Modern Medicine

This year has gotten off to a rocky start in our family. It began with a call on Jan. 3 informing us that my father had a heart attack. He had just returned home after a visit with us in Florida. Thankfully, he got the medical care he needed and is on his way to a full recovery.

Shortly after my father’s heart attack, COVID-19 began to run rampant through our community. We tried our very best to dodge the virus, but in the end we lost the fight, and each of us had a bout with it. Our 16-year-old daughter, Grace, got it especially hard since she is on an immunosuppressant to treat Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome.

Grace’s rheumatologist ordered the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab, which has an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to help her fight COVID-19. Two days after receiving the infusion, Grace started feeling much better. Her cough disappeared, and she began to regain her strength.

It has been a week since she got the infusion, and Grace has tested negative and was finally strong enough to go back to school this week. She still has some fatigue, but overall the sotrovimab infusion helped eliminate the virus from her body.

I have been in close contact with Grace’s rheumatologist throughout her bout with COVID-19. She is an amazing doctor who is very responsive with emails and phone calls. She is up to date on the most recent treatments and those that are no longer available.

At our last appointment, she shared with me an exciting possibility for those who cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine or who do not mount an adequate immune response from the vaccine. She suggested we consider Evusheld (tixagevimab copackaged with cilgavimab) as an option for Grace.

Evusheld is a new treatment also granted emergency use authorization by the FDA. It is not yet available where we live, but is anticipated to arrive soon. It is a dose of two shots given to protect those with no immune response to the vaccine. After the initial doses are given, a booster would be given every six months to continue the protection against COVID-19. 

As a parent of a child who does not mount an adequate immune response, I am excited for this possibility. I saw firsthand how Grace’s body struggled to fight COVID-19. If it is possible to offer her any protection from going through that again, I will gladly do it.

As I contemplate the year’s rocky start, I appreciate the medical treatments available to us because we are living in 2022. Without the medical advancements within the heart disease community as well as the strides made in protection against COVID-19, our year would look very different right now.

Note: Lambert-Eaton News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Lambert-Eaton News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Lambert-Eaton myasthenia syndrome.