PID is a rare genetic condition affecting around 1 in 10,000 people. Patients have a weakened immune system, leaving them vulnerable to constant, serious infections. By the time they are diagnosed, children have often been hospitalised, leaving their parents in an agony of guilt and fear.

At diagnosis, they learn there is no cure and families can feel afraid of what the future holds for their child. PID is so rare that they may not know any other children with the same condition. It’s hard to find reassurance that everything will be okay.

Our brief was to create a film to support patients and families at this difficult time when, above all, they need to believe there is hope for the future.

Our film had to be genuine, easy to localise, appropriate for children and families, showing the fun and possibility of life, even with PID.

IGI’s Imaginarium is a heart-warming film that captures the personality and dreams of Amélia, an 11-year-old girl who doesn’t let PID hold her back. She introduces us to her family, her horse and IGI, a soft blue bear who keeps her company when she has treatment for her condition.

In the film, Amélia meets Romain, an artist, and together they sketch out her dream day – a fantastic adventure in a magical realm of elves and castles, where her IGI therapy bear has transformed into a flying horse.

Amélia shows that, even with her condition, she can still create a world as big as her imagination. Her story can bring hope to other children with PID around the world, helping them see a future full of possibility.

IGI has been a powerful brand symbol for Takeda’s patient support programme for many years. After workshops with patients, we found that at many moments during their journey with PID, young patients needed more support, especially as children. We wanted to leverage the goodwill already surrounding IGI to create new support materials that addressed specific insights.

Many patients felt that they were only seen as their condition, not as the individal they wanted to be. In IGI’s Imaginarium, the patient leads the film, with her personality and dreams captured in her own words. With a focus on her passion for life and ability to create something amazing, this film helps patients see that they don’t need to be defined by their condition. They can be the hero.

The first patient recruited for IGI’s Imaginarium was in Switzerland, and the first film was produced in December and rolled out across the EU as a pilot. The film was shown to patients by nurses on iPads and hospital screens after patients were diagnosed. Children and families were encouraged to ask questions about their form of PID.

With an online platform being built, IGI’s Imaginarium will become a continuing campaign that empowers patients to tell their own story, capturing their hopes and dreams in their own words.

PID is rare – in the UK, for example, there are an estimated 5000 patients. This means that often patients do not know each other and specialist nurses travel long distances to see their patients. While this limits the scale of the campaign, it increase the value to those who often feel forgotten.

Primary immunodeficiency (PID) is a rare genetic condition affecting around 1 in 10 000 people. There are an estimated 5000 people in the UK with PID. While this may limit the reach of the IGI’s Imaginarium, this made the film more valuable to families living with PID. They no longer felt alone in what they were going through, especially at diagnosis.

This pilot film, created with a patient from Switzerland but implemented across the EU, has been well-received, with mulitple markets inspired to develop their own IGI’s Imaginarium with a local patient.

HCPs have reported shedding tears as a family watched the film and saw Amelia’s passion for life. As part of a wider support programme, the film helped patients start treatment with confidence and hope, engaging more with their treatment and other support resources such as the IGI therapeutic play kit.