immune deficiency

When Akiva Zablocki found out his infant son Idan had a one-in-a-million immune disorder, he and his wife Amanda were terribly worried, as all parents would be. But unlike most parents of children with rare diseases, Akiva could draw on the expertise in navigating the healthcare system he gathered when successfully overcoming his own rare and scary ordeal with a brain stem tumor. Thanks to that know-how, his wife’s background in healthcare law, some amazing clinicians, the couple’s tenacity, and Idan’s spirit, he is now a healthy ten-year-old enjoying summer camp. On this episode of Raise the Line, Akiva shares the remarkable details of his family’s journey with host Shiv Gaglani, and tells the story of how the Hyper IgM Foundation, which the Zablockis launched, is helping patients all over the world. Be sure to stay tuned for some heartfelt advice for current and future providers as they encounter patients and families with rare diseases. 

Mentioned in this episode: https://hyperigm.org/

This week, Peter Arkwright, Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Allergy and Immunology, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, UK, and Consultant for the Department of Paediatric Allergy and Immunology, Manchester University Foundation NHS Trust, UK, joins our Editor, Evgenia Koutsouki, to speak about the prevalence of allergy and the challenges surrounding immune disease in children. In this episode, the pair discuss Dr Arkwright’s fascinating career, including the defining moment of his practice so far. A range of pertinent topics are discussed, including insights into the treatment of novel and life-threatening immune diseases, and the reasons behind the surge in infectious diseases that the world has recently observed.

The Aimee Drew Trust