. . . sharing our experience living with primary immunodeficiency disease . . .

left to right:  Matthew (3), Jeremy (6), and Benjamin (9)

Welcome to the Fox Family Website!

This website is dedicated to our three beautiful boys who live with primary immunodeficiency.  Most people have never heard of PIDD, even among the medical community . . . so our hope is to provide awareness to those who don't know, a place to catch up with family and friends, and resources for other families living with PIDD.  We hope you find our website useful!

What is PIDD?
The following information is courtesy of the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF):

Primary immune deficiency diseases are disorders in which part of the body's immune system is missing or does not function properly. In contrast to secondary immune deficiency disease in which the immune system is compromised by factors outside the immune system, such as viruses or chemotherapy, the primary immune deficiency diseases are caused by intrinsic or genetic defects in the immune system.

There are a wide variety of primary immune deficiencies. The World Health Organization recognizes nearly 100 primary immune deficiency disease including X-linked Agammaglobulinemia (Bruton's Disease), Common Variable Immune Deficiency, Selective IgA Deficiency, and Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (boy-in-the-bubble disease). Some disorders, such as Selective IgA Deficiency can be quite common, occurring as often as 1/500 to 1/1000 individuals. Others, such as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency, may be as rare as one individual affected per million. Untreated primary immune deficiencies may be characterized by frequent life-threatening infections and debilitating illnesses.

Because of advances in our medical understanding and treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases, individuals who in the past would not have survived childhood are now able to live nearly normal lives. Many individuals affected by primary immune deficiency diseases require life long therapies including intravenous gamma globulin infusions, antibiotic therapies, or bone marrow transplantation.

Warning Signs of PIDD:

If you have infections that:
 
Recurrent – keep coming back
 
Persistent – won’t completely clear up or slow to clear
 
Severe – requires hospitalization or IV antibiotics
 
Unusual – caused by an uncommon organism

OR

If you have a family history of PIDD
 
If any of these describe your infections or if you have a family history paired with recurrent, persistent, severe or unusual infection, ask your physician to check for the possibility of a Primary Immunodeficiency Disease.

Contact the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) for more information at www.primaryimmune.org