What is IVIG Therapy and how does it help Gavin? 

Every Monday and Friday, Gavin receives a subcutaneous infusion of donor antibodies, directly into his belly. These donated antibodies, essentially function as a temporary immune system, replacing his own missing or defunct antibodies.

Each batch of medication (called GAMMAGARD) is created from the blood serum of 10,000 – 15,000 different people.

In Gavin’s particular case, the antibodies he needs are IgM and IgA. For whatever reason, Gavin’s body produces less than half of the IgM it should, and what it does produce is defunct or non-functioning. As things have progressed over the years, his IgA has become low as well.

Over the last year or two, we’ve also been keeping a close eye on his platelets because they’ve been dropping as well, sometimes significantly enough to be concerning.

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Each infusion provides him with an acting immune system for about a week. The timing and space between infusions are purposeful. We want to provide enough overlap that should there be a delay in a single infusion; he will be okay. This buffer of sorts has come in useful on many occasions over the years.

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