Ian & Abby’s Story

I have two children who are diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS. Both are now teenagers. While we began this journey when they were young children, it has only been within the last four years that we realized what they had was PANS/PANDAS. For us, we were so grateful that antibiotics and anti-inflammatories worked in mitigating the worst of the neuropsychiatric symptoms they faced. Unfortunately, they had been sick for so long without us knowing, their path to health was more complicated than we expected. We soon realized that while the medication seemed to support them, we could not get them off the medication without a significant relapse. And while they were stable, they continued to struggle with crippling anxiety. We knew we needed more specialized care, and someone who could truly dig in and identify what may have been missed— what was the actual trigger, and why could we not get them off antibiotics and anti-inflammatories?

We knew there was no way to continue searching without experts in the field who, sadly, did not take insurance. There was no way we would be able to pursue these specialists without support. PANS/PANDAS has been so costly to treat, even with providers who take insurance. All of the lab work, the medication, the ER visits, hospitalizations, and therapy bills.

We were so grateful to learn that JBC offered grants to those in need who have children with PANS/PANDAS. The process was incredibly easy to walk through, and the foundation was so kind and generous. It is because of the grant we received from JBC that we were able to access providers who are giving both of our children lifesaving treatment and care. These providers helped us get to the root of the immune issues, and explained so much of what is happening to our children and how to support them in regaining health. We are so grateful to JBC for their generosity and kindness. Without this grant, we would not be walking our children toward health.