Me, My Brother, and MG - a Column by Allen Francis

My twin brother, Aaron, who has myasthenia gravis (MG), recently engaged in a physically intensive task. He explained over the phone that he had been cleaning his room when he came across some old wooden planks from a forgotten home project. He decided to finish it by…

My twin brother’s eyes have begun to droop again. It happened during a period recently when I got locked out of my main social media account, and I was busy with work, so I wasn’t keeping in touch with Aaron as much as I usually do. Drooping eyes used to…

For more than 26 years, I avoided talking about myasthenia gravis (MG) with my twin, Aaron. We’re 50 now, and Aaron was in his mid-20s when he was diagnosed, and everything changed. He went from being an intense, exercise-loving, hard-working man to living with a condition that weakens his…

My twin brother, Aaron, took advantage of the recent winter blast in New York and went to the gym. With myasthenia gravis (MG), he finds that he has more energy in lower temperatures. Being out in public means having to sometimes deal with people at their worst.

Opportunities often arise when we least expect them, as the saying goes. My twin brother, Aaron, recently told me that the frigid weather in New York City has given him a chance to return to the gym. Aaron explained that his symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG) improve dramatically…

I live in Manila, Philippines, while my twin brother, Aaron, still calls our hometown of New York City home. Depending on daylight saving time, there is about a 12-hour time difference between us. When it’s morning or afternoon here in Manila, it’s early evening or late at night in New…

I was shocked when I learned recently that my twin brother, Aaron, had suddenly become lactose intolerant at age 50. He was diagnosed after becoming violently ill from adding cheese to a beef empanada. It was quite a blow to him. As New Yorkers, we grew up on milk and…

As I chatted recently with my twin brother, Aaron, on a video call, I noticed he was sipping a smoothie. This was very odd to me. Aaron is a serious fitness nut, and before he developed myasthenia gravis (MG), he was always exercising. But…

I noticed during my most recent video call with my twin brother, Aaron, that he was sorting through a pile of his old-school CDs and cassettes. I teased him about listening to outdated tech. “The cassette player died years ago,” he said. He was checking song titles to see if…

Note: This column describes the author’s brother’s experiences with Soliris. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I had promised to video call my twin brother, Aaron, as he received a Soliris (eculizumab) infusion, but I felt a…