Meet New Board Member Diane Alexander  

Q: Where do you live?

Alexander: I live in Quincy, located in west central Illinois, next to the Mississippi River.  

Q: What do you do for a living?  

Alexander: I am a retired educator. I was a high school English teacher and principal in South Dakota before accepting the position of Director of Teacher Education/Certification with the South Dakota Department of Education. During my time in the state department, I earned a doctoral degree in Education Administration, and from there took the role of education deanship at Governors State University, University Park, IL where I served for 21 years. I also chaired the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Board of Examiners for 27 colleges and universities.  

Q: What is your association with Myasthenia Gravis?  

Alexander: My husband was diagnosed with MG after a monthslong journey of mysterious symptoms and misdiagnosis. He was eventually diagnosed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. We continued working with doctors at Mayo for four years and felt safe in their care. Unfortunately, they transitioned my husband to local physicians who didn’t understand the disease or how to manage it. For the last nine months of his life, he lingered in the hospital, enduring intense daily physical therapy and taking 15-17 pills per day despite barely being able to swallow water. Forty-eight hours before being moved to a nursing home for two to four weeks of physician-prescribed intensive physical therapy, he died of MG, liver and kidney failure. 

Q: Why is serving on the Conquer MG board important to you?  

Alexander: I want to do everything possible to prevent anyone from enduring the physical and mental anguish my husband suffered because of inadequate care. The key to this—and what I hope for— is increased awareness of the disease and its seriousness.  

Q: What are you hoping to contribute to the MG community?  

Alexander: There is a lot of room for improvement to educate care providers about myasthenia gravis. But people living with the disease should also become students of MG. I want my story to encourage individuals and caregivers to take an active role in learning about the disease, become strong self-advocates, and know what questions they should be asking of their care experts. 

SeAndrea Ferguson is a wife, a mom, a teacher, an individual living with myasthenia gravis (MG) and now one of our two new members of Conquer MG’s Board of Trustees. She enjoys listening to music, reading, watching her favorite shows, and spen

ding time with her amazing family and good friends.  

Q: Where do you call home?  

Ferguson: I live in Merrillville, IN.

Q: What is your MG Story?  

Furguson: I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in 2003 when I was 18, so I’ve been living with and managing this disease for many years—and yet, I still have days when I struggle. I rest as needed and stay away from stressful situations or people. My family is very supportive, as are my caring and knowledgeable neurologists who help me manage the symptoms.  

Q: What inspired you to join the Conquer MG Board of Trustees?  

Ferguson: Until now, my engagement with Conquer MG has been as support group leader in northwest Indiana. I am eager to step into this new leadership role as a board member to continue helping others navigate the ups and downs of MG, and to help raise awareness of MG through storytelling. Building awareness is proving to move the needle as evidenced by the increasing number of new treatments entering the market. It’s never a good time to be diagnosed with myasthenia gravis but as it happens, now is a good time to be diagnosed. But we need to make it easy for patients and caregivers to find support in their community.