Saving Sammy... and Many Others

Very early in my foray into blogging, I posted about the way the nonfiction book Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD changed the pretty dismal trajectory of my oldest son's treatment regimen for a traumatic, and newly recognized, class of childhood illnesses grouped under the category of PANS. Thankfully, things have improved fairly dramatically over the past decade (since my son first became ill), and the treatment options for afflicted children nowadays are much improved. But kids, and families, still face uphill battles when pursuing a PANS diagnosis, and they still are exposed to skepticism and disregard from some portions of the medical community that is absolutely unconscionable. It turns a traumatic situation into complete torture for far too many suffering children and families.

Fortunately, there are brave and tireless parent advocates who keep rattling the cages of the medical establishment, government, and the health insurance industry. In my neck of the woods, a wonderful example of this is the Great Lakes
PANDAS/PANS Association and their upcoming charity auction to raise money for the cause. This is part of the national movement to mark the annual celebration of PANDAS / PANS Awareness Day.

I can't emphasize enough how terrible this class of illnesses is for affected kids and their families. And, likewise, I can't possibly commend the organizers of these charity fundraising events enough to do them justice. They are, literally, saving lives, or without question quality of lives. If you live near an event organized for families affected by PANDAS, PANS, or Lyme Disease, I wholeheartedly encourage you to show them whatever support you can.

Fiction transports us, but the cruel realities of the world in which we live sometimes trivializes any message we seek to convey through fictional stories. The stories of real torment, and courage, and triumph of children with PANS are more inspiring than anything a writer can concoct. Celebrate that victory over an illness that sets children's brains on fire but can ultimately be quenched with the help of sympathetic doctors and parents who refuse to surrender to the status quo!

#SFWApro