“My dad was a pastor of a churches in Dayton and Beavercreek,” Greene said. “I ended up going to my dad’s alma mater – St. Paul Bible College in Minnesota.”
In 1979, Greene married Brenda, whom he met in Minnesota. In 1985, he took over as pastor of a church in Delaware, Ohio then returned to Dayton eight years later to become copastor of his dad’s church – Faith Christian Fellowship in Beavercreek.
“Eight months after I came back to the area, my dad and I were golfing and he suffered a massive stroke,” Greene said. “After that, he was not able to speak, and I became the senior and only pastor of the church.”
Greene’s father, Wilbur J. Greene, lived another 11 years but was severely disabled. While his mother, Dreama Greene, cared for his father, Greene continued working at the church and raising two sons, Tyler and Garrison with his wife.
“Our church was financially supporting an orphanage in Haiti and there was a massive earthquake in 2010,” Greene said. “Our group went to Port Au Prince to help rebuild.”
When Greene returned to the states, he noticed he had developed double vision so he immediately made an appointment with his optometrist, who suspected he might have a brain tumor. But an MRI confirmed that he was tumor free, so the doctor then suspected he had had a stroke, like his father before him.
Eventually he received the correct diagnosis of gMG.
“I did research and found that there were few medications around to treat this disease,” Greene said. “They could give me steroids to suppress my immune system, but I would still have vision problems, and my eyes would keep getting weaker.”
After a few years, the disease began affecting Greene’s neck and soft palate. He could talk, but he couldn’t do it for long periods of time because he lacked the strength. He lost his ability to smile due to facial muscle weakening and could no longer chew.
“I’m 6’7’ tall and fell below 200 pounds,” Greene said.
In 2016, the fatigue Greene had felt had become almost crippling. He spent most days sitting in his recliner or in bed and eventually could barely walk. He then developed a more frightening symptom of shortness of breath.
“I called my neurologist and since they couldn’t get me in for a couple of months, they told me to go to the ER,” Greene said.
Greene was referred to the Cleveland Clinic and ended up being intubated shortly after arriving. He remained on a ventilator for eleven days and was in the ICU for three weeks. When he returned home, he brought with him a variety of immune suppressant drugs.
gMG causes muscle function to diminish due to a faulty immune response that mistakenly attacks muscle cells, permanently damaging them. Greene said he struggled with continued weakness and fatigue and worsening symptoms for the next several years.
“In 2018, Cleveland Clinic stopped taking my insurance, so I was referred to Ohio State University Neurology,” Greene said. “They asked me about entering a clinical trial for a new medication.”
In August of that same year, Greene entered the double-blind study. After the study concluded, he was told he had been given a placebo but was promised the actual medication, which he began taking. The improvement was dramatic.
“Within days after I started taking the medication, I was better,” Greene said.
As with many auto immune diseases, the exact cause of gMG is not known. Though Greene’s mother was also diagnosed with the disease last year, there is no known hereditary tie.
Fortunately for Greene, the drug he takes – Zilbrysq – has made all the difference in his life.
“I was so weak and fatigued for several years,” Greene said. “I tried to keep my obligations but had to cancel meetings and I was out of the pulpit for three months two separate times. But now I can do everything I did before the diagnosis.”
Now 67 years old, Greene calls his gMG a “huge interruption to my life.” But he is now able to continue working, and spending time golfing and with his family, which now includes eight grandchildren.
“I once thought this was going to be my life for the rest of it,” Greene said. “That was scary. I try to encourage others to look for medications that can help improve their quality of life and be their own advocates, because I feel like I got my life back.”
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