University of Hartford freshman overcomes rare neurological condition

Starting college comes with plenty of butterflies and its own set of challenges. Imagine, on top of that, dealing with a debilitating disease.

That was the situation for one freshman at the University of Hartford until a partnership between the school and a Connecticut health care system got her back on track.

“I did cheerleading for 10 years, I've done flag football,” Avery Murphy, a University of Hartford freshman, said “I was a very active kid growing up. I’ve done sports my whole life.”

That is why losing mobility was terrifying for Murphy, yet that is what happened during her first week on campus.

“I was having a really hard time walking to class. And it was extremely painful to walk, you know. My hamstrings were tightening up. I couldn't walk more than 50 feet without having to find a bench and sit down.”

The muscle weakness came after she had mysterious symptoms on and off for nearly a year.

“I got kind of like a flu symptom, kind of cold,” Murphy said. “Then I was experiencing kind of like an eye droop.”

Now juggling college courses, she sought help from Hartford HealthCare CampusCare in the health services facility.

“She was feeling like her legs were maybe not going get her all the way to where she needed to go, and she was also claiming that she was feeling very fatigued,” Laura Gezelman, a Hartford HealthCare CampusCare nurse practitioner, said.

Gezelman advised Murphy to go to the hospital right away. However, Murphy says, her primary care doctor at home in Massachusetts told her she could not book a follow-up appointment for more than a month.

“I said, ‘You know, you really can't wait a month and a half to be seen with those kinds of issues,” Gezelman said. “I really was worried that she had a neurologic condition going on at that point.”

That is when Murphy went to Hartford Hospital.

“I don't often walk my patients over to an emergency room,” Dr. Stephanie Alessi-La Rosa, Hartford HealthCare's medical director of sports neurology, said.

Extremely concerned about Murphy’s condition, Dr. Alessi immediately admitted her for inpatient care with the neurology team in the emergency department.

“I was concerned about this condition, myasthenia gravis. And it was at the point where I was primarily worried about her diaphragm weakness,” Dr. Alessi said. “Patients in that situation can go into respiratory distress and require intubation.”

Murphy was ultimately diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare and chronic autoimmune neuromuscular condition. She spent five days hospitalized.

Now in outpatient care, she takes a muscle strengthener medication three times a day and she is hopeful an upcoming surgery could put her into remission.

“She will have it lifelong, but it is very manageable with the correct medications,” Gezelman said.

Murphy’s care team credits quick action for her positive prognosis.

“The relationship that we have with the University of Hartford and our campus care program is really what made the difference,” Dr. Alessi said.

Now Murphy is ready to conquer the school year, returning to everyday life as a college freshman.

“I owe Laura like, everything. She pretty much saved my life,” Murphy said. “Without her, I wouldn't have got connected with Dr. Alessi or any of the people at Hartford Hospital. So I'm so happy and grateful for them. I'm just relieved that it this is a treatable scenario.”