Category: PANDAS Stories

I’m trapped. It hurts more than anything I have ever felt. No matter how hard I try, I can’t escape myself. I scream again, unable to see or hear anyone around me. I fall, not feeling the pressure as I hit the ground. Everything is blurry- I grab onto whatever I can feel; anything to… Continue reading Alessia’s PANDAS Story

She developed PANS in 2020 and is healing.  She is a high school freshman whose diagnosis was unclear and treatment was difficult to find. Today she is healing and happy to share her journey with others. Emily was a typical kid. She had a typical birth and did all of the things that kids do like… Continue reading Emily’s PANDAS Story

Katy began experiencing PANDAS symptoms when she was 7 years old. Thanks to a school nurse, she was referred to a specialist who was able to get her the treatment she needed to start down the path to recovery. Today she is a recent high school graduate on the way to a bright future starting… Continue reading Katy’s PANDAS Journey

By: Stacie Manna The father’s role in a PANDAS Family is one that can make him feel alone and invisible, some days more than others. This Father’s Day, I am here to remind you, dads, how important you are. We see you, feel you, and have not forgotten about you. PANDAS is a family illness… Continue reading We See You, Dad!

Micaela Widman’s children Kai and Brielle both suffered for years from undiagnosed autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Learn how they finally received life changing diagnoses and treatment. Micaela Widman and her husband Jerad live in Overland Park, Kansas. They have six children: Kai (22), Jace (20), Kale (18), Sterling (16), Brielle (14), and Brenna (10). From 2011 to… Continue reading Kai and Brielle’s Story: How a Family Coped With Nearly a Decade of PANDAS

By Stacie Manna  “PANDAS mom” is a title I would not wish on anyone. PANDAS, standing for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections, is a disorder estimated to affect 1 in 200 children. It is common for a child to go to sleep one night and wake up the next day as if… Continue reading A Mother’s Thoughts

The entire family system is affected by PANDAS. I have identified some of the key issues and symptoms from the histories provided by the parents, as well as, from those that my wife and I observed with our own child, son – age 8. First, the affect of these behaviors exhibited by our children shows… Continue reading A Father’s Thoughts

Amanda was diagnosed with PANDAS when she was 14 after six months of seeing multiple specialists who either misdiagnosed her or dismissed her symptoms. Her symptoms largely resolved when she was a junior in high school. She is now in her early 20’s, a junior in college on the pre-med track interested in pediatric primary… Continue reading Amanda’s PANDAS Journey: From Misdiagnosis to Recovery