Arielle’s PI journey led her to advocating for the immunocompromised

You can find Arielle advocating for fellow immunocompromised individuals in her Louisiana hometown as part of the Immune Deficiency Foundation's advocacy outreach efforts, but her journey to the state house started at birth.

“The first year of my life was spent in isolation at a hospital. At the time, I was only the 14th person in the world with the diagnosis.”

Arielle was born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and understood the feelings of being rare and secluded at an early age.

Things took a positive turn when her family discovered the Immune Deficiency Foundation soon after and brought her to events to connect with others like her.

Looking back now as an adult, Arielle reflects “Now that I am older, I am able to fully appreciate the events. They’ve given me a place to belong and feel so different.”

Today, she uses the life tools and resources the Immune Deficiency Foundation has equipped her with to speak out and speak up for fellow individuals living with primary immunodeficiencies (PI).

“Advocating for me means letting others know they are not alone. Others may not have heard of PI, so bringing awareness plays a big part. It’s the small things that make a big impact.”

Her life journey with the condition and early involvement with the Immune Deficiency Foundation has given her the opportunity to lend a unique perspective and voice to advocacy issues, which increases visibility to PI and impacts the wider community.

For Arielle, it’s all about connecting with fellow PI community members like her. For those who may just be receiving a diagnosis she says, "the burden of being overwhelmed isn’t a burden you need to carry alone, which takes me back to the word community.”