CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The month of June is dedicated to spreading awareness about a disease you may have never heard of.
- It’s called Myasthenia Gravis and one Mint Hill mom says it’s changed how she lives her life
- Now she’s helping what doctors say is a growing number of patients find support
- She hosts the MG support group Saturdays at the Ronald McDonald House off Morehead
It’s called Myasthenia Gravis and one Mint Hill mom says it’s changed how she lives her life.
Now she’s helping what doctors say is a growing number of patients find support.
Rachel Pegram says the condition causes muscle weakness and fatigue. She runs a Charlotte support group for survivors.
Novant Health doctor Joseph Chipman says Myasthenia Gravis effects more than 75,000 Americans and that number is growing.
He says there’s no known cause. However, doctors say it’s important to know the signs.
“I started having trouble pulling my legs up the bus stairs," Rachel Pegram says. "I felt so weak I couldn’t. I would have to lock my knees to pull myself up the stairs. And then coming back down my legs would literally give out on me. Let them know there’s hope. There’s other people that understand, that battle, that struggle, and that we’re here to help.”
According to her doctor, Pegram manages her condition with medicine.
Pegram hosts the MG support group Saturdays at the Ronald McDonald House off Morehead.