Another new year comes with a new wave of COVID-19 infections brought on by another variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This new variant, named Omicron, carries several different mutations in the spike protein compared to the prior variants, and is highly transmissible. While there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the severity of infections from this variant, the degree of protection afforded by the current vaccinations, and the future with regards to COVID-19, the basic rules regarding protection from severe disease are still the same. The following summarizes and updates key concepts related to COVID-19 that are relevant to individuals with LAM.

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Beth Daugherity had been suffering lung and breathing issues for years. After a lung collapse and months of pain, she consulted several doctors to figure out what was wrong. They told her the symptoms were likely caused by her anxiety, weight, gallbladder -- even the altitude. All the while, she was keeping close track of her lung problems, which always seemed to worsen with her menstrual cycle. Beth’s analytical mind told her this was no coincidence. Still, she had trouble convincing doctors she was onto something.

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When Jennifer Fujikawa was diagnosed with LAM in 2015, she reached out to The LAM Foundation for online information, resources, and patient support programs. Since then, the Foundation has been Jennifer’s source of hope – and the LAM community is like her extended family. Jennifer is an active fundraiser for the Foundation, writing letters to friends and family to tell her story and ask for their help to find a cure for LAM.

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Wendy Sellers, a 30-year-old wife and mother, had been struggling for months with unexplained lung issues before she finally received a LAM diagnosis. It was the early 1980s, when doctors knew little about the disease. Her husband, Rick, and father-in-law, Dr. John Sellers, wanted her to receive the most advanced care available at the time. Wendy traveled to the Mayo Clinic, where she participated in early LAM studies, and her journey was chronicled in The New England Journal of Medicine. 

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