Calendar Club…

…is an enjoyable end-of-year fundraiser. With four winners picked each month, plus a Grand Prize winner and Runner-Up picked at year end, you have 50 chances to win.

A donation of $12.00 per ticket or $50.00 for five tickets is appreciated. Just click the donate button, enter your name and address and we’ll fill out your tickets. Your ticket stubs will be returned to you.

Four times a month we draw a ticket for a weekly $25.00 winner. At year end, we draw a $500 Grand Prize winner and a $100 Runner Up. Submit your entries by January 2016 to be eligible for every drawing.

It’s called “Calendar Club” because we pick winners every week throughout the year.

This could be your lucky year!

To Participate by Mail or Phone

If you prefer to participate by mail, send your check made payable to MGF of Illinois to:

Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of Illinois

275 N. York Street, Suite 401

Elmhurst, IL 60126

Or enter by calling the MGF of Illinois office at 800-888-6208 with your credit card information.

The proceeds from this fundraiser will help us reach 1,200 MG patients, family members and friends with vital MG information about treatments and everyday coping strategies. We value your support!

  What Every Myasthenia Gravis Patient Should Know

MGF of Illinois Fall Seminar

Seventy-five people were on hand October 25 at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois to hear Matthew Meriggioli, MD, share the latest information about myasthenia gravis. Dr. Meriggioli, Professor of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, explained current understanding on topics such as why people get autoimmune disease, what happens in the immune system of an MG patient, antibodies that cause MG, and prevalence of thymus abnormalities in MG patients.

Dr. Wayne Rubinstein, fellow member of MGF of Illinois’ Medical Advisory Board, provided support for the meeting and introduced Dr. Meriggioli. We’re grateful to both doctors, as well as to attendee Dr. Julie Rowin, for sharing their time and expertise. A DVD of the presentation will be available for purchase in February.

Here are highlights covered by Dr. Meriggioli.

In myasthenia gravis patients, about 75% are found to have thymus gland abnormalities. Of these, 85% have “hyperplasia,” which, according to the MedlinePlus, is enlargement due to increased cell production in normal tissue. The remaining 15% have a thymoma, which is a benign or cancerous tumor of the thymus.

There are various types of MG. At diagnosis, 85% of MG cases are related to the patient having acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies. Another 8% of patients have MuSK (muscle-specific tyrosine kinase) antibodies, 5% have low-affinity AChR antibodies, and 1% have LPR4 (lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4) antibodies.

The course of myasthenia gravis weakness varies from person to person, as the following summary shows.

Initial symptoms

Eye muscle weakness             75%

Head/neck weakness              15%

Limb weakness                         10%

Within first year

• Approximately 75% develop head/neck +/- limb weakness
• Approximately 67% reach maximum MG severity
• Approximately 20% experience MG crisis

The blood test for AChR antibodies has positive results for about 85% of MG patients, and for about 50% of those with ocular MG. In different patients, the test values do not correlate with severity of the disease. However, in a given patient, a change in the test values may correspond to a change in the disease.

Ben Maravilla’s granddaughter takes on the role of Miss MG at Aurora’s Puerto Rican Heritage Parade, July 2015.

Ben Maravilla is a one-man dynamo for raising MG awareness in Aurora, Illinois. For the third year running, he entered a “Myasthenia Gravis” float in Aurora’s July Puerto Rican Heritage Parade. His daughters and grandchildren got in on the fun. They walked with the “Myasthenia Gravis – Snowflake Disease” banner, handed out candy, and even elected a very lovely “Miss M.G.”!

Under Ben’s direction, the float was decorated to educate 2,000+ parade attendees about myasthenia gravis – and share a crowd-pleasing nod to Puerto Rican history, too!

Ben commented, “At one parade I found another woman who has MG. It’s a great way to help others learn about this disease. I even had a chance to tell Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner about MG.”

Next: The Fox Valley United Way Cardboard Boat Race

Ben’s putting his team together now to construct an entry for the upcoming cardboard boat race to be held Saturday, August 15, at Mastadon Park in Aurora. His past boats have displayed MG logos, and given his team an opportunity to share myasthenia gravis information with the community. In fact, in two of the last three years his paddlers took first place in the nonprofit division. Great way to let others know about this little known autoimmune illness.

You can stop by to see Ben, his team, and their boat:

• Race day, Saturday, August 15th
• At Mastodon Lake, Phillips Park, Aurora
• Boater registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
• Activities begin at 10:00 a.m., awards at noon
• Food, music, entertainment and a ton of fun are in store!