Immune therapy gives young Central Texas boy new lease on life

AUSTIN, Texas - A young Central Texas boy who struggled with severe epilepsy for nearly a year, now has a new lease on life thanks to immune therapy. His family was finally able to get him effective treatment, after an Austin doctor realized his seizures were actually being caused by a rare autoimmune disorder. 

Lincoln Holland of College Station had his first seizure in 2021, when he was just two and a half.

"We had no idea what was actually happening," said Lincoln Holland’s mother Ashley. 

Soon he was having 15 seizures a day, and had to wear a helmet to keep from hurting himself. 

"He stopped doing everything. He stopped talking. He stopped interacting. We would often have to strap him in the chair just to feed him," said Ashley Holland. 

Ashley Holland says her son became unrecognizable. She took him to four different neurologists, but Lincoln’s epilepsy only got worse. 

"Just seemingly trying everything to figure out what was going on with him," said Ashley Holland. 

After about nine months, the Hollands met Dr. Karen Keough, a child neurologist and epilepsy specialist at St. David’s Children’s Hospital in North Austin. 

"My initial response when I saw him was, I've seen this before," said Keough. 

Based on his history, Keough believed Lincoln’s seizures were being triggered by a rare autoimmune disorder that doesn’t always show up in tests. 

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"Where their immune system was basically attacking the brain and causing the epilepsy to come on," said Keough. 

She put Lincoln on Intravenous Immunoglobin therapy, or IVIG.

"It kind of acts like a vacuum cleaner and goes around and blocks those antibodies, and removes them from the system, so that they stop causing trouble," said Keough. 

The result was immediate. 

"The very next day he became seizure free. The very next day," said Ashley Holland. 

Lincoln spent one weekend a month getting infusions at St. David’s Children’s Hospital. Last July was his final treatment, and he’s been seizure-free for two years now—even able to come off his daily seizure medication. 

"He basically does not have epilepsy anymore," said Keough. 

Keough says it’s unusual to see as dramatic an improvement as Lincoln’s, but for those with autoimmune epilepsy, IVIG will make a difference. 

Lincoln is now five years old. He’s in therapy to address his developmental setbacks, and his mom feels blessed to have her son back. 

"Our life looks very different now, and we're so grateful. Lincoln is very, very active. He loves to be outside. He loves to play basketball and do puzzles," said Ashley Holland. "You can just look at him and his smile. It really just lights it up."

The Holland family is now paying it forward by becoming epilepsy advocates, and donating to St. David’s Children’s Hospital to help kids like Lincoln. 

In the future, Keough says she hopes to see autoimmune epilepsy cases be properly diagnosed more quickly, so that kids can get the treatment they need sooner.