When Gary Lidiak was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in 2020, he faced a challenge he never expected.
After more than three decades in the corporate world, including serving as a vice president for a major company, Gary was accustomed to solving problems and staying busy. He rarely missed work and had always considered himself healthy. But after a series of medical issues—including hip replacement surgery and surgery to remove bone growths that were affecting his ability to swallow—he began experiencing unexplained weakness.
“I started feeling weak,” Gary recalls. “I started walking kind of like a monkey. My wife said, ‘What is that?’ I didn’t know.”
For nearly two years, Gary searched for answers. He met with specialists and underwent numerous evaluations before a neurologist finally recognized the signs of MG. A blood test confirmed the diagnosis.
Like many people living with MG, Gary’s treatment journey has involved trying multiple therapies. He started with prednisone, experienced significant side effects, underwent IVIG treatments, and later became the first patient in Houston to receive efgartigimod alfa-fcab (Vyvgart). When that treatment eventually became less effective, he moved on to plasmapheresis and most recently began treatment with nipocalimab-aahu (Imaavy).
Along the way, he also faced additional health complications, including COVID-19 infections, serious infections, and sepsis.
“We’ve been through a lot,” Gary says. “But based on what the rest of the world goes through, we are blessed.”
That perspective helped shape what came next.
Finding a Way to Give Back
Gary has spent more than 40 years working in marketing and consulting. He now runs his own businesses, including a sports marketing venture. As he adjusted to life with MG, he began looking for ways to combine his professional background with another lifelong passion: racing.
“My whole family raced,” he says. “I thought, how do I bring these two things together?”
Gary and his wife have already been active supporters of the MG community, participating in the Houston MG Walk as Team Blessed. But he wanted to do something on a larger scale.
This year, that idea took shape in the form of a drag racing partnership that places the MGFA logo on a race car competing in events sanctioned by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA).
Working alongside IHRA representative and veteran drag racing professional Larry Morgan, Gary helped secure logo placement on the Larry Pearce Racing Mountain Motor Pro Stock car as a way to introduce new audiences to MG and to the work of the MGFA.
The project is also designed to create fundraising opportunities.
“If I can get MGFA’s name on a car, then I can invite corporate sponsors to get their names on it as well,” Gary explains. “They can associate themselves with the MGFA and commit a portion of sales back to the organization.”
For now, the racing initiative serves as a proof of concept. Gary hopes to demonstrate the value of the program through race appearances, car shows, and community events before expanding the effort even further.
Using What You Know
For Gary, raising awareness about MG is less about the platform and more about using the skills and opportunities available to him.
“I have the capability to do this, I have the time,” he says. “It’s a passion to get the word out, no matter how we do it.”
That approach reflects the same mindset that has guided him throughout his career. Rather than stepping back after his diagnosis, Gary looked for a way to contribute.
His experience has also reinforced the importance of advocacy, both for patients and caregivers. Gary credits his wife, who serves as his primary caregiver, with helping him navigate appointments, treatments, medications, and hospitalizations throughout his MG journey.
“We realize what caregivers go through,” he says. “How can we pay attention to them and give them some credit?”
He also encourages others living with MG to take an active role in managing their care.
“If you’re not an advocate for yourself, you’re stuck,” Gary says.
Looking Ahead
As the racing season continues, Gary hopes the MGFA-branded race car will spark conversations about myasthenia gravis among people who have never heard of the disease before.
His long-term goal is simple: to use his knowledge of marketing and racing to create new opportunities for awareness and fundraising that support the MG community and the MGFA’s mission.
“I can’t thank you guys enough for what you’re doing for me,” he says. “But I’m going to try to.”