Living with Primary Immunodeficiency can be exhausting and isolating. You may get sick more often, stay sick longer, and feel dismissed when patterns are missed. Many people bounce between specialists and juggle insurance hurdles while searching for answers. You are not alone, and you deserve informed, compassionate care.
In our new blog series, patient and advocate Kerry will share her experience and provide key information and tools for navigating Primary Immunodeficiency before and after diagnosis.
Before diving into Primary Immunodeficiency diagnosis and doctors, it helps to understand what your immune system is and how it works. The immune system is made up of many parts that work together to protect you from infections and keep your body in balance.
What are the main parts of the immune system?
White blood cells:
- Neutrophils: first line of defense against bacteria
- Lymphocytes: T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells that control infection and make antibodies
- Monocytes: cells that eat germs and alert other immune cells
- Eosinophils and basophils: cells that help fight parasites and control allergies
Antibodies (immunoglobulins): proteins like IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, and IgD that recognize and neutralize germs
Complement system: proteins in your blood that help antibodies kill bacteria
Organs and tissues:
- Bone marrow: where blood cells are made
- Thymus: where T cells learn to function
- Spleen: filters blood and fights infection
- Lymph nodes: trap germs and activate immune cells
- Mucosal immune system (gut, lungs, skin): protects at the surfaces of your body
What happens when a component of the immune system does not work?
When these systems work together, your body can fight off infections and keep you healthy. When one part of the immune system does not work correctly, you may get sick more often, stay sick longer, or develop autoimmune and inflammatory problems.
Want to learn more about the immune system? Check out these additional resources:
Immune System Posters (Jeffrey Modell Foundation)
The Fantastic Interleukins (Jeffrey Modell Foundation)
Parts of the Immune System (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
Immune System Overview (Cleveland Clinic)
About Kerry
Kerry Hecht is the Founder and CEO of 10k Humans, 10k Voices and 10k Spaces, and a lifelong market researcher with more than 30 years of global experience helping organizations understand people, behavior and the experiences that shape decisions. Her work is grounded in listening closely, finding patterns that are easy to miss, and turning complex human stories into information people can act on.
Kerry also lives with Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) and receives subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy after years of recurrent illness and a life-threatening episode of sepsis. Her path to diagnosis taught her how difficult it can be to connect the dots across symptoms, specialists, laboratory results, treatment decisions and insurance barriers - especially while sick.
In this guide, Kerry brings those two perspectives together: a career spent helping people articulate their experiences and firsthand knowledge of navigating primary immunodeficiency as a patient. Her goal is to make the journey toward answers, treatment and stability clearer and less isolating for the people and families who come next.