Autoimmune Encephalitis Testimony: Part I
Written By: Nia White
At the beginning of last summer, nothing was normal. We were in a pandemic. Little did I know, my life was about to be interrupted even more. I had just graduated from high school. I signed up for Pre-College classes to prepare me for my freshman year at Hampton University. I began to have insomnia, but I pushed through it and chalked it up to anxiety about the change. During this time, I found out one of my close friend’s got COVID-19, but was asymptomatic. My parents thought my constant crying and sadness was an odd reaction. I also began to lose my balance. My parents decided none of this was not normal and decided to take me to the emergency room.
From there I was diagnosed with a condition called autoimmune encephalitis (AE), which is when the brain attacks healthy cells and causes swelling. I eventually ended up at Duke University Hospital which specializes in AE in children.
For the first few weeks I was in the ICU with other children, some who had more life-threatening illness. My parents also saw the toll this took on other families as they recounted to me that two children died while I was in the ICU. However, I do not remember anything from late-February to late-September.
After 42 days in the ICU, I was eventually moved to a regular room and spent the remainder of my time in the hospital there for a total of 74 days. While I was in the hospital I celebrated my 18th birthday. I do not remember.
On September 11, 2020 I was released from the hospital and I began to re-adjust to my “normal” life. This was definitely a change from what I was used to. As an independent person relying on other people was not normal for me.
In October 2020, I decided to register for two online community college classes. This time was especially difficult because my brain was still healing, and the fast pace of two online, mini-semester college courses was both new and challenging.
There were many ways I saw God work through this situation. The main one being all of the people that prayed for me all over the country. I had Christian doctors and nurses that took special interest in me. God’s timing is perfect. Duke specializes in pediatric cases of AE. Had I been 18, I would not have been considered a pediatric patient. I also could not have been diagnosed at a more opportune time: I was at still at home. The pandemic slowed life to a halt which made it easier for my parents to care for me as they never missed a day at the hospital, took care of my sister and took care of themselves.
All of these things and more showed me how God can work through all circumstances and I can see a blessing in all situations.
