Grace Flynn
Extraordinary Circumstance:
Autoimmune Encephalitis
Book: Kev’n’s Island Fiasco
Words by Dallas Graham
Design & Illustration by Dallas Graham
Photography by Chris Holloman
Videography by Anthony Cuccia
Editing by Jeri Larsen
Grace Elizabeth Flynn is the oldest sister in a family of five girls and has always had a unique way of expressing and sharing her creative talents with others. Her passion for helping animals—as well as her incredible gift for art—combine to create a world teeming with life and color. Grace’s ability to portray her subjects artistically in a variety of mediums is both stunning and inspiring. A frequent mammal, avian, reptile, amphibian, and insect rescuer, Grace demonstrates an uncanny ability to heal; she often teaches her family, friends, and even her instructors her successful techniques. Her understanding of the world and creatures around her impresses one and all. At age 13, after years of illness and testing, Grace was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis (AE), including a positive antibody known as CASPR2. AE is a rare disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy brain cells, leading to inflammation of the brain. Grace has never let her disease define who she is in spite of the physical, mental, and |social challenges this incurable disease presents. Grace’s attitude remains positive. Her witty humor and compassion for all make her a light and joy to everyone around her. With extraordinary perspective and artistic talent, Grace is truly making the world a more beautiful place.
Browse images from her workshops.
photography by chris holloman
Read (some of) her book.
COPYRIGHT © 2020 BY DALLAS GRAHAM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM BY ANY ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL MEANS INCLUDING PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING, OR INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER.
learn about
Autoimmune Enchepalitis (CASPR2)
Autoimmune encephalitis is the name of a group of conditions in which the body’s immune system attacks the brain, causing inflammation. The immune system is meant to protect the body from infections. Sometimes people develop autoimmune challenges after they’ve had an infection. The immune system creates proteins called antibodies to help find and fight bacteria and viruses. For some people, the body keeps producing the antibodies, or the antibodies get confused, and they start attacking healthy parts of the body. Nobody really knows why this happens in some people and not others. Other people develop autoimmune encephalitis because of a tumor.
While autoimmune encephalitis can appear as a complication of several rare disorders, it can also happen on its own. In some cases, the autoimmune reaction targets a certain protein in the brain called contactin-associated protein 2 (CASPR2). Doctors used to think autoimmune encephalitis was very rare but have learned it’s more common than they originally thought. Autoimmune encephalitis causes different symptoms. Sometimes a person’s personality will change, or they’ll have problems with memory, difficulty concentrating, seizures, depression, and sleep problems. It can also lead to a loss of consciousness or coma.
Autoimmune encephalitis is a serious condition. People often need to stay in the hospital for weeks so they can receive specialized treatment and monitoring. First-line treatment for autoimmune encephalitis focuses on suppressing the immune response that is causing inflammation. Other treatments include steroids, IVIG, plasmapheresis, or removing a tumor. It’s not clear which of these treatments work best, and all of these treatments can inflict significant side-effects. Outcomes vary for different types of autoimmune encephalitis, but most people who receive timely treatment mostly or fully recover.
Learn more about autoimmune encephalitis at these great sources:
www.encephalitis.info/pages/category/autoimmune-encephalitis
rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/11979/autoimmune-encephalitis
RED FRED PROJECT WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR FRIENDS AT PATIENT WORTHY FOR THEIR RESEARCH AND PARTICIPATION IN SHARING THIS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION, REGARDING THIS EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE. YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR WORK AT PATIENTWORTHY.COM.