Meet one of the latest Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) Teen Council members, Baylee Gregory!
Baylee was diagnosed with Combined Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID).
Though any diagnosis is difficult, Baylee is making a point to volunteer at IDF events and share IDF stories with others in an effort to spread awareness of the disease. Read below to get to know her a bit better:
Name: Baylee Gregory
Age: 16
School: High School Junior
Diagnosed: Summer 2014
Initial symptoms: When I was younger I was always sick, in the hospital, and had infections all the time
Treatment: Immunoglobulin replacements every 2 weeks
Sports: Varsity Golf, Soccer, and Softball
On Taking Care of Yourself & Communication: My coaches know that if I’m not feeling well they need to send me home. Taking care of yourself is a big part of having a PI, so if you don’t feel good you need to tell someone. You always have to make sure to take care of yourself. Your health comes before anything else.
On Relationships: I’ve told my boyfriend before about what I have, pretty early on, and he’s very supportive about it. My best friend, she is as well. Both of them will come over to my house when I start my infusions. They’ll help me; they’ll get me anything I need. My family is very supportive with it, so that’s also a plus.
On Telling People: If you tell them what you have, they don’t understand it and you have to explain it a little more. It’s a good thing to tell them what you have and tell them that it’s not contagious and it’s not like you’re weird or you’re different from other people. You’re exactly the same.
On Getting Infusions: I’m just learning to go through with that and just making sure that I’m always on track and if I have an infection, I get it treated. Other than that, though, it’s pretty easy going with getting infusions done. It’s painful, but it’s good because I know it’s working. From when I got diagnosed last year to now, I feel 100 times better. Growing up, I was sick every weekend and couldn’t hang out with my friends, do fun activities, or play in sporting events… but now that I know what was wrong, everything is better. So I hope that others take care of themselves and just make sure that they have a supportive, loving, caring family.
