PANDAS/PANS Awareness

Please note that this did not start off as a "campaign to raise funds". It started out with me just designing a shirt for our IL event. When I asked other parents in other states if they wanted to include their kids names on a shirt...the response was OVERWHELMING. In a 24 hour period I went from 40 names to well over 300! In an effort to make this shirt available to all families, this campaign was started. Please show your support and purchase a t-shirt to help raise awareness for PANDAS/PANS. PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep and PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) are often said to be "rare" but the truth of the matter is they are simply "rarely diagnosed". Children are often misdiagnosed for years and their treatment is delayed. These medical conditions frequently misdiagnosed because they have symptoms of very common conditions such as OCD, ADHD, Tourettes, anorexia ands even bi-polar disorder. symptoms can range from obsessions, compulsions, attention issues, vocal and motor tics, abnormal movements, urinary frequency, food avoidance, irrational fears, aggression, deterioration in handwriting, decline in math skills, sleep difficulties, personality changes, age regression, irritability and anxiety. PANDAS is a medical condition that results from an autoimmune response to strep. PANS is an autoimmune response to other bacterial triggers such as mycoplasma (pneumonia), viral or even allergies. basically our kids live in a world where any exposure to something that triggers an immune response can result in an exacerbation of symptoms. There are many treatments and options for treating this condition but unfortunately they are often very expensive and not covered by insurance. My son Brendon was diagnosed with PANDAS in 2012, after 9 years of misdiagnoses. Raising awareness may spare another child and family the frustration and agony of years of trying to help their child. If I had seen a t-shirt like this 9 years prior to B's diagnoses a light bulb would have went off in my head. I hope this effort can help other families and also bring awareness to a medical community that is severely lacking in knowledge, resources and diagnosing these conditions. Please buy a shirt, join us in advocating for our kids, wear it and start a discussion on PANDAS/PANS. You just might save a childhood in the process! Visit http://www.pppas.org/ for information and my son Brendon's story.