Real People – Real Stories

• Considering Alpha-1 Testing
• Newly Diagnosed with Alpha-1
• Living With Alpha-1

Living with Alpha-1 can pose challenges. For many Alphas, sharing experiences and ideas with other Alphas can be helpful in successfully dealing with these challenges.

Each Alpha has a unique story to tell. We trust you'll find these real stories informative and encouraging. Check back often for more real stories from real people with Alpha-1.

Diagnosis Set Her on the Path to Recovery and Advocacy

Annie Garcia was at the top of her career in 2003 when her increasingly labored breathing became a full-scale medical emergency. A noted Hispanic professional with an impressive corporate resume, Annie was in an important business meeting, just five days into a new senior executive role, when she had to leave the room because she could not exhale. Though her breathing problem had been intensifying in the previous year, the cause was undiagnosed and she was trying to manage the problem on her own. This time she had to find a doctor.

"It was scary," Annie recalled. She took a cab to the closest physicians' office because she couldn't walk the two blocks.

Although she didn't learn the cause of her breathing problems that day, Annie, age 49, was eventually diagnosed with AAT deficiency. Her diagnosis was the turning point in what had been a long and frustrating medical journey. Attributing her breathing difficulties to post-9/11 poor air quality and blowing debris, she had moved away from New York City, leaving behind a corporate lifestyle that she loved. Her breathing problems continued.

"If properly diagnosed, I probably would have stayed in New York," she said. Before her diagnosis and treatment, Annie's illness drastically changed her life.

"It got to the point where I was sick all the time, with the typical respiratory problems that most people get for a day or two, but Alphas get for weeks," she said. "Eventually I went from earning a median six-figure salary to zero, from managing 2,000 employees to managing none, and from holding 250,000 miles in air travel to only flying for personal need."

Fortunately, Annie consulted a veteran pulmonologist. When she came to him still struggling to breathe after her sudden departure from work and subsequent hospitalization, he administered a battery of inconclusive tests. As a last resort, he ordered a simple, inexpensive AAT deficiency blood test.

"He couldn't believe that the result was positive," she said. "He tested me again. I was his first Alpha, after 25 years in practice."

Once diagnosed, Annie was able to begin weekly infusions of ARALAST. She also wears a cannula (slender tubes inserted in her nostrils to provide oxygen) around the clock and takes medications daily.

As Annie's treatment progressed, she learned more about her disease and met other Alphas. Her life changed again.

Soon after diagnosis, Annie acquainted herself with her local and regional ARALAST representatives and educated herself about Baxter and the product. "I needed to know everything about this treatment because I depend on it," she said.

Annie attends Alpha-1 Association annual meetings and is eager to help educate the public about Alpha-1 and how it is managed. "I participate in my illness, its world of research and its treatment," she said. "I think that we Alphas need to take it upon ourselves to get involved. We need to be part of the Alpha-1 community, attending support group meetings and taking advantage of educational opportunities. We need to be interested in each other."

Today, living in Atlanta, Annie embraces a life that includes work she loves, traveling, attending the symphony and keeping three dogs and a home with her partner of 10 years. She applies her business acumen to learning all she can about Alpha-1, the Alpha-1 research and treatment community and her family health history.

Her mother, who died last year, suffered from serious pulmonary deficiencies in her later life, and Annie's father died of lung cancer when he was 41. One of Annie's two brothers tested negative for Alpha-1.

"There are a lot of undiagnosed Alphas out there," said Annie. "I encourage anyone with symptoms or a family history of lung disease to be tested. Thanks to my diagnosis, I'm now a relatively healthy Alpha. According to my doctor, I have experienced about a 40% improvement in lung function since being diagnosed. I feel strong after treatment," she said. "I feel better, physically and psychologically."

Last spring Annie enjoyed a 10-day trip to Madrid and Málaga, Spain. Annie arranged to be infused immediately before boarding the plane and again promptly upon return. "I have a beautiful life," said Annie.

Read previous Real People – Real Stories.

ARALAST [Alpha₁-Proteinase Inhibitor (Human)] is indicated for chronic augmentation therapy in patients having congenital deficiency of A₁-PI with clinically evident emphysema. ARALAST is not indicated as therapy for lung disease patients in whom congenital A₁-PI deficiency has not been established.

Please review the Important Safety Information and the Full Prescribing Information