Photo: Mike Macklin
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A couple hundred people marched on the Boston Common Saturday to raise funds and awareness for PANDAS/PAN, an autoimmune disorder in children and young adults that is often misdiagnosed as mental illness.
Jennifer Vitelli is with the “Look. Foundation,” the organization that planned the walk. She said PANDAS/PANS is brought on by infections like strep throat, Lyme disease and COVID-19, as well as infections caused by mycoplasma, which results in inflammation in the brain.
“In turn, the child or young adult starts exhibiting mental and behavioral health symptoms — ADHD, OCD, ticks, motor ticks, depression, suicidal ideations — however when properly diagnosed and treated, they heal. And the healing is stunning,” Vitelli said.
Photo: Mike Macklin
An estimated 1 in 200 children suffer from the disorder. Ian Gauch was one of those children taking part in Saturday’s walk.
“I don’t remember much of my childhood. What I do remember is pretty poor … I wasn’t really a normal kid. I kind of was on the outside, the fringes,” Gauch said.
Gauch was eventually properly diagnosed, and now lives a normal life in his young adulthood.
“I’m in college now with normal kids, normal guys,” Gauch said. “It’s definitely night and day.”
WBZ's Mike Macklin reports.
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