Help Sonny Recover from PANS/PANDAS

Aim

Raising funds for specialist PANS/PANDAS treatment to help Sonny reduce brain inflammation and reclaim his childhood.

Help Us Get Sonny the Specialist Treatment He Needs After PANS Changed His Life Overnight

Until June 2024, our son Sonny was a happy, thriving little boy doing well at school and enjoying life like any other child.

Then, almost overnight, everything changed.

After becoming very ill with scarlet fever followed closely by hand, foot and mouth disease, Sonny experienced a sudden and dramatic decline in his mental, emotional and neurological health.

At the time, we had absolutely no idea what was happening.

The change in him was extreme and frightening. Our once happy and settled child suddenly developed crippling OCD behaviours, tics, overwhelming anxiety, emotional outbursts, sensory overload and severe separation anxiety.

At one point, he could not walk past rubbish or sticks on the floor without feeling compelled to pick them up. He experienced night terrors, hallucinations, psychomotor episodes and frightening neurological behaviours that we could not understand at the time.

During some episodes, our little boy would walk around behaving almost like an animal, making uncontrollable animal noises and vocal tics that he simply could not stop. He continues to struggle with impulsivity and neurological reactions that are completely outside of his control.

He also developed severe sensory issues with light, sound, touch and smell, struggled to regulate his emotions, and became deeply fearful of older children and authority figures. His ability to focus and concentrate declined dramatically, and despite previously thriving in school, he became too unwell to return in September 2024.

We spent months desperately trying to understand what had happened to our little boy.

Eventually, after extensive private assessments and specialist input, Sonny was identified as having PANS/PANDAS.

PANS (Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and PANDAS are conditions where strep A ( tonsilitis ) infections trigger inflammation in the brain, causing sudden and severe neurological and psychiatric symptoms in children.

In Sonny’s case, serious infections appear to have triggered an autoimmune inflammatory response affecting his brain and nervous system. Children with PANS/PANDAS can experience sudden OCD, anxiety, rage, sensory processing difficulties, regression, tics, psychomotor disturbances, sleep disturbances, cognitive decline, emotional instability and trauma-like responses — often literally overnight.

One of the key issues thought to affect children with PANS/PANDAS is inflammation and disruption of the blood-brain barrier, which normally helps protect the brain from harmful immune responses and inflammation. When this barrier becomes compromised after infection, it can contribute to the neurological and psychiatric symptoms many children experience.

One of the hardest parts of this condition is that every virus or illness can trigger further flare-ups and regression, meaning children can lose progress very quickly.

Since this all began, we have done absolutely everything we can to help Sonny recover and feel safe again.

Sonny is also autistic, and while autism is naturally part of who he is, the severe regression, distress and neurological decline we witnessed happened suddenly after serious infections and was completely out of character for him beforehand.

Before becoming unwell, Sonny was happy, confident, thriving in school and able to stand on stage performing in school plays without fear. The sudden onset of overwhelming anxiety, OCD behaviours, sensory distress and trauma responses came afterwards and represented a dramatic neurological change for him.

Thankfully, after specialist treatment with Dr Ubhi and the team at the London Pans pandas clinic , Sonny is doing significantly better than he was during the acute stages of his illness.

However, PANS/PANDAS has still had a profound impact on his nervous system and developmental foundations. He continues to struggle with emotional regulation, impulsivity, sensory overwhelm, focus and retained primitive reflexes that affect his ability to feel safe, regulated and progress developmentally.

The OTEIM programme that we are hoping to get funded , aims to help rebuild these foundational neurological skills through reflex integration work and nervous system rehabilitation, alongside photobiomodulation laser therapy designed to help reduce neuroinflammation and support repair of the blood-brain barrier, with the hope of reducing the impact of future autoimmune flares triggered by infections.

We have already spent thousands privately trying to access the support he desperately needs, including:

-specialist PANS/PANDAS assessments and doctors (£2,000+)

• weekly occupational therapy sessions (£100 per week)

• private educational support through a forest school setting ( £80 per week ) 

• functional medicine support ( £200 per month ) 

• specialist supplements and treatments

Despite repeatedly asking for help, we haven't received any support through the the local authority, meaning we are currently funding almost everything ourselves while only one parent can work due to Sonny’s care needs.

We are now trying to access specialist neurological treatment through OTEIM, including photobiomodulation therapy and reflex integration therapy.

These therapies aim to reduce neuroinflammation, regulate the nervous system and support brain healing by helping reintegrate primitive reflexes that form the foundation of healthy neurological development and function.

Photobiomodulation therapy is also believed to help support repair and regulation of the blood-brain barrier, which is one of the key areas affected in PANS/PANDAS, with the aim of helping reduce ongoing inflammation and improve neurological functioning over time.

Our hope is that this treatment will help reduce the severity of Sonny’s flare-ups, improve his ability to regulate, learn and feel safe again, and give him the best possible chance of long-term recovery.

Further information about the therapies and treatment approaches offered through OTEIM can be found here: OTEIM

As parents, it is heart-breaking watching your child disappear so suddenly and fighting every day to help them come back to themselves.

We never imagined we would be in a position where we needed to ask for help like this, but we will do absolutely everything we can for our son.

If you are able to donate, share Sonny’s story, or simply help raise awareness of PANS/PANDAS, we would be incredibly grateful.

Thank you for taking the time to read Sonny’s story and for supporting our family.

All donations raised will go directly towards Sonny’s medical treatment, therapies, specialist appointments, neurological rehabilitation, educational support and associated care costs. We will continue to document Sonny’s treatment journey and progress transparently throughout.

If you would like more information about PANS/PANDAs please see PANS PANDAS UK

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 8th August 2026 at 6:14pm